What happened
During a nighttime descent toward Athens-Ellinikon, the flight encountered marginal weather characterized by mist. While performing the approach, the captain notified Air Traffic Control that the aircraft was established on the ILS runway 33R. Shortly after this communication, the pilot recognized an error and attempted to execute a go-around maneuver.
However, the recovery attempt was unsuccessful. The aircraft type struck the side of Mount Hymettus, which has an elevation of 2,000 feet, approximately 4.8 km southeast of the airfield. The force of the impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate. There were seven fatalities among the occupants, with no survivors recorded.
Findings
Investigations into the accident revealed that the crew attempted to conduct the approach under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite the presence of limited visibility. It was concluded that the aircraft had not actually achieved the required position on the ILS runway 33R at the time of the incident. The crash was primarily driven by a failure to adhere to published approach procedures and an incorrect approach configuration, which caused the flight path to deviate from the intended trajectory.