What happened
The aircraft was operating on a mission to conduct a raid over the Portsmouth Naval Station. During this operation, the plane came under attack from opposing forces. The airframe sustained damage from enemy fire, which compromised its structural integrity and flight control systems. Unable to recover from the damage, the aircraft descended rapidly and impacted the water surface, crashing into the sea.
Findings
The incident resulted in a total loss of the airframe. All four individuals on board were killed in the crash. The primary cause of the accident was identified as the impact with the water following the destruction of the aircraft by hostile fire during its active mission phase.