Incident Overview
A flight from Singapore-Changi Airport, which had been uneventful, arrived at Kuala Lumpur-Subang Airport at night under poor weather conditions with heavy rainfall. The crew began an ILS approach to runway 15, where the runway visual range (RVR) was reported as 450 meters. The pilot-in-command was unable to establish visual contact with the runway and initiated a go-around. Four subsequent landing attempts also failed.
The Sixth Approach and Accident
During the sixth approach procedure, the crew descended below the minimum descent altitude (MDA). The aircraft subsequently made contact with trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located 1,200 meters short of the runway. Upon impact, the aircraft burst into flames.
Evacuation and Injuries
All 247 occupants were quickly evacuated from the aircraft. Twenty of them sustained injuries. The undercarriage and both engines were torn off during the crash sequence. The aircraft was partially destroyed by a post-crash fire.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be the flight crew's decision to continue the approach after passing the MDA below the glide path without proper visual contact with the ground or runway. Contributing factors included violation of published procedures, lack of visibility, and poor weather conditions.