What happened
On a scheduled flight, MS771, traveling from Cairo International Airport to Zurich via Geneva, was conducting an ILS approach to runway 2D at Geneva-Cointrin Airport. The aircraft was carrying 174 passengers and 10 crew members. During the short final phase of the approach, the right main landing gear collided with an ILS antenna because the aircraft was at an insufficient altitude.
Following this impact, the four-engine aircraft touched down approximately 35 meters before the runway threshold. The force of the landing caused all three landing gear units to detach from the airframe. The aircraft then slid along its belly for roughly 900 meters, during which time it veered left and lost its right wing. Although a fire broke out on the right side of the fuselage, it was suppressed quickly. All 184 occupants successfully evacuated the plane, though two passengers sustained serious injuries during the emergency egress. The aircraft was a total loss.
Findings
The investigation identified several critical errors by the pilot-in-command, specifically a failure to execute a go-around after the aircraft entered an incorrect approach configuration below 1,000 feet. The crew demonstrated poor coordination and failed to adhere to standard approach checklists, leading to a lack of effective task distribution and monitoring within the cockpit. The captain's decision to continue the landing despite an excessive rate of descent and improper configuration was a primary factor.
Additional contributing elements included inadequate approach and landing planning, a delay in increasing engine power during the final stages of the descent, and the potential accidental deployment of internal airbrakes shortly before the aircraft struck the ground.