Incident Overview
On an international scheduled service from Banjul, Gambia, to Lagos, Nigeria, with intermediate stops in Freetown, Monrovia, and Accra, the aircraft experienced an accident during the approach to Monrovia-James Spriggs Payne Airport. The approach was conducted in poor weather conditions with heavy rainfall.
Approach and Landing
During the final approach to runway 23, at a distance of 4 kilometers from the runway threshold, the captain confirmed visual contact with the runway and continued the approach. The aircraft crossed the runway threshold at an excessive speed and a height of 150 feet, subsequently touching down approximately 3,000 feet past the threshold. The landing distance available on runway 23 was 1,800 meters.
Overrun and Fire
The runway surface was wet. Despite the deployment of full brakes and reverse thrust, the aircraft could not be stopped within the remaining distance. It overran the runway at a speed of 80 knots and came to rest 120 meters beyond the runway end, at which point the aircraft burst into flames.
Recovery
All 85 occupants were rescued from the aircraft. Among them, a few sustained slight injuries. The aircraft was destroyed by the fire.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, the probable cause was a wrong approach configuration on the part of the crew, who completed the approach at an excessive speed and well above the glide path, causing the aircraft to land too far down the 1,800-meter runway. Contributing factors included poor braking action due to the wet runway surface and the crew's failure to initiate a go-around procedure when the landing maneuver was obviously missed.