What happened
Flight 869 was operating an international scheduled service originating in Tokyo, Japan, with several intermediate stops including Hong Kong, Bangkok, Bombay, and Bahrain, before its final destination in Cairo, United Arab Republic. Following a crew change in Bangkok, the aircraft proceeded toward its next waypoint.
At approximately 20:16 GMT, the aircraft reported passing over the Santa Cruz VOR at an altitude of 7,000 feet. While cleared to descend to 4,000 feet, the flight crew initially intended to utilize the ILS back beam procedure for landing on runway 09. However, air traffic control informed the crew that the back beam was not flyable and suggested using the 270° radial of the VOR instead. The pilot agreed to a VOR letdown procedure.
Shortly after this agreement, the aircraft reported being outbound over the sea on the 272° radial of the VOR. At 20:18, radar controllers issued a warning that flying more than six or seven miles west of the airfield would result in encountering extremely heavy turbulence. In response, the flight crew requested and received permission to execute a left-hand procedure turn rather than the standard right-hand maneuver.
By 20:19, the aircraft began its inbound procedure turn. Radar controllers notified the crew that they were positioned 6 miles west-northwest of the field. Although the flight acknowledged this information, no further communication was received. During the execution of the turn, amidst heavy rain and intense atmospheric instability, the pilot lost control of the aircraft. The wreckage was later located in the sea approximately 9 NM west of Madh Island, with the impact occurring around 20:20.
Findings
Investigation efforts were significantly hindered by the inability to pinpoint the exact wreckage location or recover debris from the site. The incident occurred at night under conditions of limited visibility and without any prior reports of an airborne emergency. Based on the available data, investigators concluded that the primary cause was loss of control during a turn while encountering severe turbulence and heavy rain.