What happened
Following departure from Andersen AFB, the flight crew received authorization to ascend to an altitude of 8,000 feet. A few minutes after this climb was initiated, the aircraft went down in the Philippine Sea, approximately 55 km west of Guam Island.
Search efforts recovered a small amount of debris from the ocean surface. There were no survivors among the 19 fatalities recorded during the accident.
Findings
While investigators could not establish a definitive cause for the crash, evidence suggests that an intense fire broke out within the cabin while the aircraft was still in flight. The crew was unable to suppress the flames, which spread quickly throughout the vessel and led to a total loss of control.