Occurrence
Following an uneventful flight, the crew was cleared to descend to 2,700 meters and received all information related to the destination airport. Shortly after, the crew informed ATC of an estimated time of arrival in eight minutes. With the runway in sight, the pilot was cleared to descend to 600 meters. While cruising at an altitude of 1,020 meters at a speed of 350 km/h in a 7° nose-down attitude and a 3° left bank, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain (1,081 meters high) located 40 km from the airport. The airplane disintegrated on impact, killing all 34 occupants.
Probable Cause
Official findings determined that the ground collision was the consequence of a premature descent on the part of the pilot-in-command, who continued the approach below the minimum safe altitude. Contributing factors included the lack of visibility caused by night conditions and the lack of assistance from air traffic control.