Incident Summary
On approach to Barquisimeto Airport, the flight crew encountered foggy conditions with limited visibility. On short final, the airplane descended below the glide path and struck the ground 1,015 meters short of the runway threshold. Upon impact, the undercarriages were torn off, and the airplane slid on its belly before coming to rest on the runway threshold, broken in two. A crew member and 22 passengers were killed, while 27 other occupants were injured.
Investigation Findings
According to the official investigation, the probable cause of the accident was a wrong approach configuration on the part of the crew, which led the aircraft to pass below the glide path until impact with the ground. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Failure of the crew to initiate a go-around,
- Improper in-flight decisions,
- Inadequate supervision of the flight,
- Lack of visibility due to fog.