Incident Overview
A maritime patrol aircraft, operating out of Valkenburg Airbase, was conducting a mission over the Atlantic Ocean, shadowing a Soviet 'Kiev Class' naval vessel. During the flight, the crew encountered severe weather conditions including blizzard conditions, low visibility, turbulence, strong winds, and waves reaching 30 feet.
Emergency and Ditching
At 0958 hours, the crew declared an emergency and were forced to ditch the aircraft approximately 185 kilometers west of the Hebrides Islands. The aircraft came down in the rough seas.
Rescue Operation
A Royal Air Force Sea King helicopter arrived on scene about two hours after the ditching. The rescue crew was able to evacuate nine injured individuals from the aircraft. Three other occupants were killed in the incident.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the airplane suffered control problems following the failure of a control rod in the horizontal stabilizer.