What happened
During an arrival from Tokyo with a stopover in Hong Kong, a four-engine airplane was performing its descent toward Kuala Lumpur-Subang Airport. As the flight approached the runway, the crew encountered challenging weather conditions characterized by low visibility. While on final approach, the aircraft descended beneath the minimum descent altitude (MDA). During this unauthorized descent, the plane impacted treetops within a rubber plantation situated approximately 6 km from the threshold of runway 15. The impact caused the airframe to break into multiple fragments. The accident resulted in 34 fatalities, including eight crew members, while the remaining 45 occupants sustained injuries.
Findings
Investigations determined that the primary cause of the accident was the captain's decision to descend below the established minimum descent altitude without having the runway in visual range, leading to the impact with terrain roughly four nautical miles from the runway threshold. Additional contributing factors included a lack of adequate monitoring of the flight path by the pilot in command during adverse weather and heavy traffic in the holding pattern. Furthermore, the co-pilot failed to intervene or challenge the captain's deviation from established company procedures.