What happened
A special flight departing from RAF Northolt for RAF Marham resulted in an accident during the initial climb phase. The twin engine aircraft was transporting two BBC cameramen and two crew members at the time of the incident.
Shortly after departing the airfield, the aircraft experienced a failure of its left engine. As the crew attempted to manage the loss of power, the plane was unable to sustain its altitude. During an attempt to perform an emergency landing, the aircraft entered a stall and struck the roof of the Premier Foods egg packing facility on Victoria Road in Ruislip. The crash site was situated approximately 1.5 miles north of RAF Northolt.
Regarding the occupants, the two passengers escaped without injury, but both pilots sustained serious injuries. The impact resulted in the aircraft being destroyed beyond repair.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary factor leading to the accident was the failure of the left engine during the takeoff and climb sequence.