What happened
On June 7, 2001, at approximately 00:13 UTC, a Beechcraft B300C, registration F-GOAE, crashed near Santiago Airport during a cargo flight from Le Mans to Santiago. The flight, operated by AEROPE, was carrying vehicle manufacturing parts.
Prior to arrival, the crew received weather information indicating good visibility and calm winds. Although the active runway was 35, the crew requested a visual approach to runway 17. During the descent, the aircraft encountered an unexpected and unforeseen fog patch. Upon entering the fog, the aircraft began a high rate of descent, dropping between 2,000 and 3,000 feet per minute. The aircraft struck trees in level flight at an airspeed of 148 knots. The impact caused the engines and wings to detach from the fuselage, which then slid through a scrubland area. The two crew members survived with minor injuries, but the aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation established that the crew was qualified and the aircraft was well-maintained with a valid airworthiness certificate. The investigation focused on the crew's decision-making process and the transition from instrument to visual flight. It was noted that while the crew was aware that certain approach aids for runway 17 (including the ILS glide path and part of the PAPI) were out of service via NOTAMs, they did not include this in their approach briefing.
Investigators also examined the cockpit workload during the approach. At the time of the fog encounter, the autopilot was disconnected, the landing gear was being extended, and the aircraft was not trimmed, representing a period of high workload. Furthermore, the investigation analyzed the meteorological forecasts, noting a lack of coherence between different weather reports (METAR and TAF) regarding visibility variations during the time of the accident.
Findings
- The primary cause was the decision to start a visual approach without having the runway in sight and the failure to execute a go-around after encountering an unexpected fog patch.
- Contributing factors included a lack of coordination among the crew, which led to poor workload distribution and the neglect of altitude alerts and instrument references.
- The crew's mental predisposition to complete the visual approach, based on earlier favorable weather reports, prevented an appropriate response to the deteriorating conditions.
- There was a lack of effective planning and preparation for the specific runway 17 approach procedure.
- The crew failed to respond to GPWS alerts due to a lack of specific training and established procedures for such warnings.