Incident Overview
On an approach to runway 07 at San José-Juan Santamaría Airport, the copilot was serving as the pilot-in-command. During the final approach, the crew experienced poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to fog, which prevented them from locating the runway and its lighting system.
Sequence of Events
On short final, the captain observed that the aircraft was not properly aligned on the glide path and assumed control. Despite attempting to correct the trajectory, the unstable aircraft continued to descend and ultimately landed to the right of the runway. After touchdown, the aircraft rolled for approximately 1,500 metres before striking a drainage ditch. The impact tore off both main landing gears, and the aircraft came to rest on its belly in a grassy area.
Evacuation and Damage
All 42 occupants evacuated the aircraft safely. The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair.
Findings
Official investigation reported the following factors: poor approach planning, lack of crew coordination, the captain's failure to initiate a go-around procedure while the aircraft was unstable and not properly aligned, wrong approach configuration, and lack of visibility due to poor weather conditions.