What happened
On 14 September 1999, a Boeing 757-204, registration G-BYAG, was conducting a scheduled holiday charter flight from Cardiff Airport to Girona Airport, Spain. During the approach to Runway 20, the flight crew encountered turbulent conditions and thunderstorm activity characterized by heavy rain and low visibility. After an initial missed approach due to poor alignment and shifting winds, the aircraft attempted an ILS approach.
As the aircraft descended, the pilot lost outside visual references. The Ground Proximity Warning System issued two consecutive audio alerts regarding an excessive sink rate. The aircraft struck the runway with significant force in a nose-down attitude, bounced, and made a second, much heavier impact approximately 140 metres further down the runway. Following this second impact, the aircraft veered right, departed the paved surface, and traveled across grassland before striking an earth mound and several trees. The aircraft eventually came to rest in a field outside the airport boundary. The impact caused the fuselage to break in two places, and both engines and the nose landing gear became detached.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and the crash site to determine the sequence of events and the extent of the structural damage. The examination of the nose landing gear revealed that the supporting structure had failed, leading to its collapse during the excursion. The investigation also reviewed flight data from the Flight Data Recorder and cockpit audio from the Cockpit Voice Recorder, noting that both stopped shortly after the second touchdown.
Engineers also assessed the damage to the fuselage and the impact with the earth mound and trees. The investigation noted that while the aircraft's main electrical power failed during the excursion, the emergency lighting system functioned as intended. The investigation also looked into the difficulties faced by rescue services in locating the wreckage in the dark, rainy conditions.