What happened
The flight originated from Reno Air Force Base at 0650 local time for a routine local training exercise. During the cruise phase while flying east of Carson City, a fire broke out in the left engine. The situation deteriorated rapidly as the burning left wing detached from the airframe and struck the tail section. This impact caused the aircraft to become uncontrollable, leading to its disintegration and subsequent crash into a mountainous region approximately 31 miles east of Carson City. All five individuals on board perished in the incident.
Findings
The official investigation identified the engine fire in flight as the primary cause of the accident. The sequence of events demonstrated that the initial fire led to catastrophic structural failure, specifically the separation of the wing and impact with the tail, which resulted in the total loss of the aircraft.