Accident Summary
On approach to Abidjan-Félix Houphouët-Boigny Airport, an aircraft carrying seven passengers, three crew members, and military equipment for the French Army (antiterrorist operation 'Barkhane') crashed into the sea. The accident occurred during final approach to runway 03, with the aircraft descending below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) and impacting water a few hundred meters short of the runway. Six occupants were rescued, while four others—including all three crew members—were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.
Circumstances
The flight had departed from Ouagadougou en route to Abidjan. On approach, the crew encountered poor visibility due to heavy rainfall. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were below minimums. On short final, the aircraft descended below MDA, struck the water, and crashed in the sea.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause: "The probable cause of this accident is the continuation of the approach below minimums without having established formal visual contact with runway references and without adequate monitoring of the aircraft's glide path. The rigorous application of the company SOPs should have necessarily led to a go-around." The following factors contributed to the accident: underestimation of adverse weather conditions below minimums; a lack of knowledge of the environment of Abidjan airport and insufficient awareness of the aircraft's vertical position; inadequate monitoring of aircraft instruments and flight path (altitude and speed) in degraded weather conditions; a high workload due to continued final approach training and distraction from tasks not related to flight operations; disabling EGPWS audible alerts due to unwanted alarms; crew resource management (CRM) probably unbalanced by the authority of the PNF over the rest of the crew; strict non-compliance with company SOPs.