What happened
On the night of June 29, 2009, Yemenia Airways flight IY626, an Airbus A310-324 registered as 7O-ADJ, crashed into the sea approximately nine nautical miles from the threshold of runway 20 at Moroni Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport. The aircraft was performing a visual approach under instrument conditions.
As the flight crew prepared for landing, they were managing a descent from 3,000 feet. During the approach, the crew requested information regarding runway lighting and wind conditions. At approximately 22:50 UTC, the autopilot was disconnected. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft entered a steep right turn at an altitude of roughly 700 feet. This maneuver triggered several Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts, including "SINK RATE," "PULL UP," and "TOO LOW, TERRAIN."
Following these warnings, the cockpit voice recorder captured the crew attempting to manage the aircraft's attitude, with commands to raise the left side. The aircraft subsequently impacted the water, leading to the loss of nearly everyone on board.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by a commission including the BEA, focused on the flight sequence, maintenance, and the recovery of flight recorders. Investigators analyzed the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) to reconstruct the final moments of the flight.
Subsequent search operations utilized specialized underwater equipment, including directional hydrophones and the Scout USBL system, to locate the underwater locator beacons. The wreckage and flight recorders were eventually located at a depth of approximately 1,200 meters. The investigation also examined the aircraft's maintenance history, including a delay in departure caused by insufficient APU air pressure, and the meteorological conditions at the time of the accident.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating in a high-workload environment, managing communications regarding wind changes and runway lighting.
- The aircraft entered a steep descent and bank during the transition from the localizer to the visual approach.
- The GPWS provided multiple critical warnings, including terrain proximity and excessive sink rate, prior to impact.
- The crash resulted in 141 fatalities out of 153 people on board, with only one survivor recorded.