What happened
The incident occurred while the flight was conducting a gunnery exercise departing from Kings Point Naval Operation Base, located north of Somerset Village in Bermuda. During the operation, the aircraft was maintaining an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet when it entered an uncontrolled descent. The machine subsequently impacted the water surface at a steep angle of 60 degrees, roughly five kilometers northwest of Hamilton. All eight crew members were killed in the accident.
Findings
The official investigation concluded that the crash resulted from a loss of control for unknown reasons. No specific mechanical failure or other contributing factors were identified in the available records.