What happened
During a nighttime arrival at Quelimane Airport, the pilot-in-command transitioned the engines to idle power while on final approach. As the aircraft reached an altitude of 230 feet, the airspeed fell below the required reference speed, triggering the stick shaker warning. In an attempt to recover from the descending flight path, the captain increased engine thrust; however, the aircraft continued to lose altitude and impacted the terrain approximately 400 meters before reaching the runway threshold.
The impact caused the undercarriage to be ripped from the airframe. The aircraft then slid for several dozen meters across the ground before coming to a complete stop. Despite the significant damage to the aircraft, which was determined to be beyond repair, all 110 occupants managed to evacuate the wreckage without injury.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the flying crew utilized an incorrect approach configuration. The crew miscalculated their airspeed, altitude, and distance from the runway during the final stages of flight. Additionally, the failure to correctly utilize the Visual Approach Slope Indicators was noted as a contributing factor to the loss of control.