What happened
During a climb following departure from Thule Airbase, the pilot reported an engine failure to ground control and requested clearance to perform an emergency return. While executing a circuit to approach runway 16, the crew encountered challenging meteorological conditions, including light snowfall, visibility of approximately 1,500 meters, and crosswinds reaching 30 knots.
As the aircraft was on short final approach, it descended too low, causing the left wing to strike the ground. The impact caused the plane to lose control and crash into flames, eventually stopping about 1.2 km before the threshold of runway 16. The accident resulted in ten fatalities and five injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed during the event.
Findings
The primary factor leading to the accident was an engine failure that occurred immediately after takeoff.