The glider was being towed by Halifax DJ994 when one of the plane's engines caught fire, forcing both aircraft to ditch at sea 50 miles off the coast of Porto.

The glider crew executed a perfect ditching, and the aircraft remained intact. After launching their dinghies, they joined the survivors from the Halifax; one of the men from the plane had been dragged to the bottom along with the aircraft.

The two crews spent nine hours in the dinghies before being picked up by a Spanish fishing boat that took them to Bilbao, where they arrived two and a half days later. In that city, they contacted the consulate, which sent them to Madrid. They then traveled to Gibraltar, arriving on August 28.