What happened
During a nighttime arrival at Diyarbakir Airport, the crew was performing a VOR/DME approach to runway 34. At the time of the incident, the airfield lacked an Instrument Landing System (ILS) for this runway. The flight was operating in challenging meteorological conditions characterized by limited visibility and scattered patches of fog.
As the aircraft was on short final approach, it maintained a slight nose-down attitude. The aircraft type impacted the ground approximately 900 meters before reaching the threshold of runway 34. The impact caused the airframe to burst into flames. The accident resulted in 75 fatalities and left five passengers seriously injured.
Findings
- The approach was being conducted using VOR/DME navigation rather than ILS.
- Low visibility due to local fog patches was present during the final phase of flight.