What happened
On 28 September 2018, an Air Niugini Limited Boeing 737-8BK, registration P2-PXE, was performing a scheduled passenger flight from Pohnpei to Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. During the final approach to runway 04 at Chuuk International Airport, the aircraft struck the water of the Chuuk Lagoon approximately 1,500 feet before the runway threshold. Following the impact, the aircraft bounced across the water several times before coming to rest southeast of the runway centerline.
The flight was initially operating under visual meteorological conditions, but the aircraft entered instrument meteorological conditions at an altitude of 600 feet. During the descent, the aircraft encountered a storm cell characterized by heavy rain. While the aircraft was being operated by the pilot in command, a maintenance engineer was present in the cockpit jump seat.
Emergency response efforts involved local boaters and US Navy divers. Rescuers recovered 28 passengers and two cabin crew from the left over-wing exits, while the flight crew and the engineer were retrieved from the forward door. Despite the evacuation efforts, one fatality was confirmed when the victim's body was located inside the wreckage three days later. All other passengers and crew members survived the accident.
Findings
An investigation conducted by the PNG Accident Investigation Commission determined that the flight crew failed to comply with the airline's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPM). The approach was identified as unstable, with the aircraft maintaining a descent angle averaging 4.5 degrees, which exceeded the 3-degree guide specified for the RNAV (GPS) procedure. The flight data recorder captured 17 EGPWS alerts, including multiple "Sink Rate" and "Glideslope" warnings, which the crew failed to acknowledge.
Investigators concluded that the crew suffered from fixation and channelized attention due to the demands of managing the landing and 40-degree flap extension. This led to a lack of situational awareness as the aircraft entered the storm cell. The monitoring pilot was found to be ineffective, failing to intervene or take control of the aircraft despite the developing unsafe conditions. Furthermore, the pilot in command did not execute a missed approach at the missed approach point, even though the aircraft had entered IMC and the approach was no longer stabilized.