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Flak was moderate accurate and a few enemy jet aircraft were in the vicinity. One jet aircraft made a pass at the formation and rammed the subject B-17, tearing off the outer panel of the left wing. The aircraft blew up after collision and it went down in a gradual dive going out of sight into the high clouds through which the formation was flying. It is not known whether ramming was intentional or not. The aircraft was under control until it started into a gradual dive.

The entire crew of eight was killed.

In December 1955 an investigation group of three Americans, escorted by Russian officers, proceeded to the area of Freiberg. After questioning inhabitants of Freiberg and other villiages, no proof could be found that this aircraft did crash in this area. Therefore the exact location of the crash remains unknown.

Seven crew members are still missing. Only the remains of T/Sgt Walter A. McClellan, who is permanently remembered on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle, were found in 2008.

2nd Lt Spurrier was officially declared death on 18 April 1946, one year and one day after the date of the crash (17 April 1945).