Accident Description
A charter flight originating from Zurich conducted an approach to runway 19 under excellent weather conditions. The crew configured the aircraft for landing, but the approach setup deviated from standard procedures. As a result, the aircraft touched down in a nose-down attitude, causing the nose landing gear to strike the runway first. The nose gear collapsed immediately upon touchdown due to excessive g-loads.
After the nose gear failure, the aircraft slid on its nose for several meters before both main landing gears also collapsed. The airplane then slid on its belly for dozens of meters, veered left off the runway, and came to rest on a grassy area. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and was deemed beyond repair. All 60 occupants on board were evacuated safely.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause was a wrong approach configuration on the part of the captain, who failed to follow several points of the approach procedure. Contributing factors included:
- The aircraft landed in a nose-down attitude, causing the nose gear to touchdown first and collapse due to excessive g-loads.
- The flaps were set to 40°, while company procedures did not allow more than 33°.
- The approach was completed with a tailwind of 10 knots, the maximum allowable speed for the configuration.
- The captain failed to initiate appropriate corrective actions in a timely manner.
No other causes or factors were reported.