What happened
The flight originated from RAF Cranwell as part of a scheduled night navigation exercise. While executing the final approach back to the airbase in the early morning hours, the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure. The loss of power caused the airplane to descend rapidly, resulting in a collision with a tree before coming to rest in a field adjacent to the base. All five individuals on board survived the impact and escaped with minor injuries.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the accident was precipitated by an engine failure during the approach phase. The root cause of this mechanical issue was identified as a coolant leak.