After completing his tour of duty with The Black Ponies in Vietnam, AO3 Michael Ryan was transfered to VP-44 at NAS Brunswick Maine. On June 3, 1972 a U.S. Navy P-3A Orion from VP-44 crashed into a mountain in northern Morocco, killing all 14 aircrew on-board; AO3 Ryan was one of them. The aircraft was on a repositioning flight from Rota, Spain to Souda Bay, Crete when it struck a 2,700' foot peak near Jebel Musa.
   The Aircraft was a Lockheed P-3A Orion Bureau Number: 152182. Patrol Squadron 44 (VP-44) was home based out of NAS Brunswick, Maine and had split deployments in Rota, Spain and Lajes, Azores in 1972.
   On June 3, 1972 the P-3 departed Rota Naval Air Base in southern Spain. About one hour after takeoff, it flew into the side of a 2,700' foot mountain while en route to Souda Bay, Crete. A Navy helicopter dispatched from Rota confirmed that the aircraft had been destroyed on impact and that there were no survivors.
   The aircraft was under control but flew into rising terrain. Weather conditions in the region often include low clouds and poor visibility, which is consistent with Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) patterns. No evidence of mechanical failure is mentioned in any public summaries.