What happened
On the scheduled international flight from Orly, France, to Jersey, Channel Islands, the aircraft began its descent toward Jersey at 1742 hours. The pilot had been notified of deteriorating weather conditions, including a visibility of only 80 meters and surface-level clouds. The crew initially planned to perform an ILS approach to runway 27, overshoot, and then divert to Dinard.
During the first approach attempt, the aircraft followed the ILS and successfully overshot the runway. The pilot then requested radar guidance for a second approach to runway 27. As the aircraft progressed toward the threshold, the controller provided distance updates. At 1806:13 hours, the controller reported the aircraft was one mile from touchdown. The pilot's response to this information was the final communication received, consisting only of the letters "TB", which corresponded to the aircraft's registration.
The sole survivor, a flight attendant, reported that the flight had been smooth until a sudden impact occurred, which she believed was caused by the starboard undercarriage striking an object. This was followed by a significant roll to the left. Investigations confirmed that the Boeing 737 (implied context of registration/type) struck the outermost approach light pole at a height of 58 feet above the runway level, approximately 3,000 feet from the threshold. Following this impact, the aircraft rolled into an inverted position, causing the starboard wing to fail and separate. The aircraft subsequently dived into the ground at 1806:27 hours.
The accident resulted in 27 fatalities and 1 survivor.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the primary cause of the accident was that the aircraft struck the approach lighting system because it was operated below the safe approach path during an arrival in conditions of extremely low visibility. Furthermore, the pilot had failed to adhere to the approach ban protocols specified in the operator's manual.