What happened
During an approach to Seongnam Air Base, the aircraft was performing a descent through marginal weather conditions. While navigating a mountainous region approximately 30 km east of Seoul, the plane struck treetops and crashed into a heavily forested area. The impact forces, followed by a post-crash fire, resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. There were 44 fatalities among the occupants, with no survivors reported.
At the time of the accident, meteorological conditions included a cloud base at 3,000 feet and horizontal visibility of approximately 11 km.
Findings
Investigations into the crash could not establish a definitive cause for the accident. While there were no documented issues regarding the engines or flight instruments, investigators were unable to determine why the aircraft was flying at an insufficient altitude prior to striking the trees.