What happened
On 23 August 1995, a Hawker Siddeley Nimrod arrived in Canada to participate in flight demonstrations at the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto and at Canadian Forces Base Shearwater. During the performance, the aircraft began its routine sequence, which included orbits and dumbbell-shaped turns. Following the successful completion of the initial maneuvers and a low-speed pass with the landing gear extended, the aircraft commenced its final dumbbell turn.
During this maneuver, the aircraft turned 75 degrees to the right under full power. As the crew retracted the undercarriage and adjusted the flaps to 20 degrees, the aircraft climbed to an attitude of 24 degrees. As the plane reached an altitude of approximately 950 feet, the engine power was decreased to near idle. This caused the airspeed to drop significantly to 122 knots, which was below the recommended 150 knots for this specific flight phase.
As the aircraft rolled to a 70-degree bank to the left, the nose dipped below the horizon. The combination of insufficient airspeed and G-loading caused the aircraft to enter a stall. The port wing dropped sharply to an 85-degree bank while the nose pitched down. Despite the crew applying full engine power and full starboard aileron in an attempt to regain control, the aircraft struck the water. The accident resulted in seven fatalities.