What happened
While performing the final approach to runway 31 at Bukoba Airport, the flight crew encountered intense thunderstorms characterized by heavy rainfall, lightning, and significant turbulence alongside strong crosswinds. During this phase of flight, multiple nose-down inputs were made on the control column, which accelerated the aircraft's descent rate. Approximately 15 seconds prior to the impact, the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) issued a sink rate alert. Two seconds before the collision, a pull-up warning was triggered, and although the crew attempted a nose-up correction, the aircraft struck the surface of Lake Victoria roughly 500 meters before reaching the runway threshold.
The impact with the water caused extensive structural damage to the fuselage, leading to the flooding of both the flight deck and the passenger cabin. While no fire occurred, the aircraft was determined to be a total loss. The accident resulted in 21 fatalities, including 17 passengers and 2 pilots, while 24 individuals—comprising 22 passengers and 2 cabin crew members—survived the event without serious injury.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary factor was an unstabilized final approach conducted under poor weather conditions that prevented the crew from maintaining clear visual contact with the ground. Several contributing elements were identified, including the pilot-in-command's decision to attempt the landing despite weather conditions falling below required minima rather than diverting to Mwanza. Additional factors included high crew workload due to the severe weather, gusting crosswinds, and the lack of air traffic services at the destination airport. The investigation also noted a high rate of descent at low altitude and a lack of immediate corrective response to the EGPWS warnings.