A slow-flying Coast Guard plane and at least one helicopter could be seen scouring the waves off Gay Head in hazy fog. But few Coast Guard vessels were visible from the lighthouse and lobster fishermen went about their business. The Federal Aviation Administration is informed. The FAA notifies the US Air Force Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Virginia. The Air Force receives an emergency signal from northern Long Island, south of Martha's Vineyard.
Rescuers search the area for three hours but find nothing.
The Coast Guard begins an aggressive search, later narrowed to the Martha's Vineyard area when the plane's radar records are found. Officers defend the five-hour delay in starting the search, saying they had to organise the air and sea flotilla and wait for daylight. Later an aircraft headrest, a tyre and part of a landing gear are found.