What happened
On the early morning of June 7, an aircraft was performing a visual approach to runway 17 at Santiago de Compostela Airport. Although runway 35 was the active runway at the time, the crew requested and received clearance for the visual approach under what were initially reported as favorable meteorological conditions.
During the descent, the aircraft entered an unforeseen patch of fog. Following this encounter, the aircraft began a rapid descent, dropping at a rate between 2,000 and 3,000 feet per minute. At 00:13:02, the aircraft made contact with trees while maintaining a level flight attitude and an airspeed of 148 knots. The impact caused the engines and wings to separate from the fuselage, which then slid through a scrubland area before coming to a rest. The aircraft was a total loss.
Findings
- The crew sustained minor injuries during the accident.
- The primary factor in the accident was the encounter with an unexpected fog patch which occurred during the approach phase.