Introduction
A twin-engine aircraft operating an official flight from Skopje to Mostar crashed during approach, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and the deaths of all nine occupants. Among the passengers was Boris Trajkovski, President of the Republic of Macedonia, who was traveling with members of his government to attend an economic conference.
Accident Details
The aircraft departed Skopje carrying two pilots and seven passengers. On approach to Mostar Airport, during night conditions with limited visibility due to marginal weather, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located near Berkovići, approximately 32 kilometers southeast of the airport. The impact forces destroyed the aircraft, and a post-crash fire ensued. All nine occupants were killed.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, the accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain. The crew initiated the approach prematurely. Contributing factors included: poor approach and landing preparation and planning; the crew ignored ATC information about the current meteorological situation at Mostar Airport; the crew misinterpreted the Final Approach Fix (FAF) with the Intermediate Approach Fix (IAF), causing the aircraft to start the descent prematurely; the crew disengaged the autopilot system during the approach while descending in complex meteorological conditions; poor crew resource management; lack of crew communication; failure to comply with standard operating procedures; failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain flight level when the aircraft reached the minimum descent altitude; and failure of the second pilot to give adequate assistance.