Accident Sequence
Shortly after liftoff, the flight instructor reduced power on engine No. 4 to evaluate the trainee's response to an emergency procedure. The aircraft began to yaw to the right. The yaw increased progressively. At a point approximately 6,500 feet down the runway, the right wing dropped and the No. 4 engine pod contacted the runway surface. The aircraft entered a severe sideslip to the right, sliding off the runway and continuing in a northerly direction through 2,600 feet of rough terrain. During this slide, the aircraft broke up and burst into flames before coming to rest on an easterly heading.
Aftermath
Four crew members escaped from the burning aircraft through a break in the fuselage. Of these four, only two survived. The body of one trainee was later found in the burned cockpit area. Ground impact and fire after impact almost completely destroyed the airplane. The three Japanese flight crew students killed were K. Kawase, J. Murata, and T. Yoshida.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was: "Delayed corrective action during a simulated critical-engine-out takeoff maneuver resulting in an excessive sideslip from which full recovery could not be effected."