What happened
While traveling from Bedford, Massachusetts, toward Griffiss AFB in Rome, New York, the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure involving one of its engines. Following this malfunction, all five people on board decided to exit the plane via parachute.
Operating under the control of the automatic pilot, the aircraft type continued its flight path for approximately one hour after the crew had departed. The flight ended when the plane impacted the waters of Lake Ontario, near Oswego. Although the aircraft was destroyed in the accident, all five occupants survived the incident without injury. The wreckage remained submerged for a period of time before being retrieved in 2014.
Findings
Investigations into the incident determined that the primary factor leading to the abandonment of the flight and the subsequent crash was an engine failure.