Garuda Indonesia Airways Flight 421: Night Approach Accident in Coconut Grove (TF-FLA)

Incident Overview and Flight Details A four-engine aircraft operated under a charter by Garuda Indonesia Airways was transporting 249 Indonesian pilgrims returning from the hajj in Mecca to Surabaya. The flight proceeded without incident until the crew received clearance to descend from flight level 330 to flight level 220. The captain requested a landing on runway 22, which was subsequently granted by air traffic control. During the night final approach, the crew acknowledged a clearance to land on runway 22 while at an altitude of 650 feet. Shortly after, the approach controller observed the aircraft was too low and attempted to contact the crew, but communication was unsuccessful because the crew had already switched to the tower frequency. On short final, the aircraft struck tree tops and crashed into a coconut grove located 2.1 km short of the runway 22 threshold. The impact caused a large explosion, and the aircraft was completely destroyed by a post-crash fire. Seventy-nine occupants were rescued, while 183 others, including eight crew members, were killed.