What happened
During a local training mission at San Salvador-Comalapa Airport, the crew of an unidentified aircraft type was performing an approach to runway 25. During this phase of flight, the co-pilot alerted the captain to a discrepancy between the two onboard altimeters.
In an attempt to diagnose the instrument error, the crew diverted their attention away from standard approach procedures. As a result, the aircraft lost necessary altitude and struck a group of trees approximately 2,500 feet before reaching the runway threshold. The impact caused the plane to crash onto a road located 1,200 feet short of the runway.
While the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss, there were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries reported, as both pilots managed to exit the wreckage safely.
Findings
- The crew's decision to prioritize troubleshooting instrument discrepancies over maintaining the established approach procedure led to the loss of altitude.
- The collision with trees occurred due to the lack of focus on flight path monitoring during the approach phase.