What happened
During a scheduled local training flight operating out of Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer AFB, an aircraft carrying eight individuals—consisting of one instructor and seven student pilots—experienced a catastrophic structural failure. The flight was performing a series of touch-and-go maneuvers when the crew initiated a takeoff attempt.
During this phase of flight, an explosion occurred in the rear portion of the plane. This blast caused the tail section to become completely detached from the main fuselage. Following the loss of the empennage, the aircraft became uncontrollable and descended onto the runway. The wreckage slid approximately 3,000 feet along the surface before coming to a complete stop, having broken into multiple fragments. Despite the severity of the impact, all eight crew members were successfully rescued from the scene.
Findings
Investigations into the incident concluded that the primary factor behind the explosion was a mechanical failure within the fuel system. Specifically, it was determined that a fuel pump overheated, which triggered the explosion in the aft fuel tank.