Accident Summary
On a descent to Warsaw-Okecie Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity. During final approach, the copilot recommended aborting the landing and executing a go-around. The captain dismissed this suggestion, disengaged the autopilot, and continued the approach after establishing visual contact with the ground at an altitude of 400 feet.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft continued in a nose-down attitude at an excessive speed of 155 knots, approximately 25–30 knots above the recommended approach speed. It struck Runway 33 surface with the nose gear first. The impact caused the aircraft to bounce, then veer off the runway to the left. It rolled on soft ground for about 860 meters before coming to rest, having lost its nose gear during the excursion.
All 96 occupants were evacuated. Among them, three passengers sustained slight injuries. The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation attributed the accident to a wrong approach configuration on the part of the flying crew, who decided to continue the descent while the aircraft was unstable and misaligned with the runway. Contributing factors included the failure of the crew to initiate a go-around procedure, an unstabilized approach, excessive approach speed, touchdown in a nose-down attitude, poor crew coordination, and poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity.