What happened
A flight operated by Lao Airlines departed Vientiane at 14:45 local time, scheduled to arrive in Pakse approximately one hour later. During the initial attempt to land on runway 15, the crew aborted the approach because visibility was inadequate. While performing a second circuit to complete another approach under poor weather conditions, the ATR72-600 crashed roughly 8 km short of the runway. The aircraft plunged into the Mekong River and became fully submerged. There were no survivors among the 49 occupants, which included 44 passengers and 5 crew members.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the flight was operating under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) without radar service. While the standard procedure required a VOR DME approach with a minimum descent altitude of 990 feet, the flight crew set a much lower altitude of 600 feet. This error significantly reduced safety margins and caused the aircraft to fly on a path approximately 345 feet below the intended altitude.
During the missed approach, the crew initiated a right turn but failed to maintain the required vertical profile. Flight data indicates that because the altitude was set at 600 feet, the aircraft systems entered an altitude capture mode that prevented proper vertical management. As the proximity to the ground became apparent, the pilot flying reacted with an excessive pitch attitude of 33 degrees. Contributing factors included poor coordination between the crew members, inadequate monitoring of flight parameters due to focus on flap configuration, and potential somatogravic illusions.