What happened
During a scheduled maritime patrol mission, an aircraft departed from Catania-Fontanarossa Airport. While performing its duties enroute, the crew experienced a mechanical failure involving one of the engines. Due to the loss of power, the flight crew was forced to perform an emergency ditching in the sea near Fiumefreddo di Sicilia.
Following the impact with the water, all three crew members were successfully recovered from the scene. However, the aircraft subsequently sank into the sea and is currently considered lost.
Findings
Investigations into the incident determined that the primary factor leading to the emergency landing was an engine failure during the flight.