 Although Akagi sustained only one direct hit ( almost certainly dropped by Lieutenant Commander Best ) , it proved to be a fatal blow ; the bomb struck the edge of the mid @-@ ship deck elevator and penetrated to the upper hangar deck , where it exploded among the armed and fueled aircraft in the vicinity . Nagumo 's chief of staff , Ryūnosuke Kusaka , recorded " a terrific fire ... bodies all over the place ... Planes stood tail up , belching livid flames and jet @-@ black smoke , making it impossible to bring the fires under control . " Another bomb exploded under water very close astern ; the resulting geyser bent the flight deck upward " in grotesque configurations " and caused crucial rudder damage . 
