What happened
A two-leg overnight cargo operation involving an experienced crew was interrupted by a significant delay of over two hours at an intermediate stop. While the first leg was completed by the captain, the second leg was operated with the first officer as the pilot flying. During the flight, the crew inquired about the status of the instrument landing system (ILS) at their destination. Air traffic control informed them that the glidepath was unserviceable, though the localizer remained functional.
As the aircraft approached the final approach fix, the captain reported seeing the airport and transitioned from instrument flight rules to visual flight rules. During this phase, the aircraft was noted to be flying too fast, too high, and off the intended course. Data from the cockpit voice recorder indicates that the captain directed the first officer to correct these deviations, yet the aircraft continued an unstable approach with flight-idle power and a lack of standard altitude callouts. Rather than initiating a go-around, the captain directed the use of air brakes to manage the descent. Shortly after, the captain noted the aircraft was low and observed trees in the flight path. Despite sounds of increasing engine power, a stall warning was recorded. The aircraft type impacted the terrain approximately 0.70 nautical mile from the runway, resulting in 2 fatalities and the total destruction of the plane.
Findings
The investigation highlighted that the crew attempted to compensate for an unstable approach by using air brakes instead of performing a missed approach. The descent was characterized by excessive airspeed, altitude, and lateral deviation from the approach path.