What happened
During a scheduled training mission, a Crusader was operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at cruising altitude. The flight was traversing the northern region of the Ariake Sea when the pilot-in-command experienced a loss of control. This resulted in the aircraft entering a steep dive, which led to an impact approximately 3.6 km south of Suminoe harbor.
The force of the crash caused the aircraft to disintegrate upon hitting the surface. There were four fatalities recorded, involving one instructor and three student pilots who were on board for instruction purposes.
Findings
Official investigations suggest that the loss of control took place while the crew was actively engaged in performing emergency procedures. During this process, the flight crew was unable to regain command of the aircraft or prevent the descent into the sea.