What happened
The aircraft departed London for a routine navigation and bombing exercise. During the flight, the pilot suffered a medical emergency and lost consciousness while seated at the controls. As other crew members attempted to move him from his station, the pilot briefly regained awareness and inadvertently locked the control surfaces, causing the plane to lose altitude rapidly.
A student navigator, who had no prior pilot training, took immediate command of the situation. He ordered the remaining crew members to evacuate the aircraft while he manually maintained a safe flight path. Two crew members successfully bailed out before the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and impacted the water surface in Lake Erie off Port Bruce.
The accident resulted in three fatalities. The two crew members who had ejected survived the incident. The deceased included the pilot, the wireless operator, and the navigator who had assumed control of the aircraft.