What happened
During the execution of a scheduled training flight, an onboard rocket attached to the underside of the right wing experienced an unplanned explosion while being ignited. This mid-air detonation caused the aircraft to become uncontrollable. The Marlin subsequently descended into the ocean in the vicinity of Sangley Point AFB. There were no survivors of the accident, with a total of 10 fatalities recorded.
Findings
- The primary factor leading to the loss of control was the explosion of a rocket mounted to the bottom of the right wing during its ignition phase.