What happened
On the scheduled flight from Kish Island, Iran, to Sharjah, UAE, the captain unexpectedly transferred control of the aircraft to the First Officer during the cruise phase, just before the descent began. Although the First Officer expressed hesitation regarding his ability to perform the VOR/DME approach into Sharjah, the captain insisted he fly the aircraft and provided instructions throughout the procedure.
At 11:24 local time, the aircraft was cleared from 9000 ft to 5000 ft and instructed to expect a VOR/DME approach to runway 12. By 11:29, the aircraft was cleared for the approach. Despite clear daylight and excellent visibility, the aircraft was flying significantly above the required approach profile. The aircraft maintained a speed of approximately 190 kt, which was at least 50 kt above the target speed, while the landing gear and flaps remained retracted.
As the aircraft approached the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA), the autopilot was disengaged. The crew attempted to configure the aircraft, but the selection of flap 25 and the deployment of the landing gear occurred at speeds exceeding the structural limits for those settings. During this period, the captain took control of the aircraft. Shortly after, the cockpit voice recorder captured the movement of the power levers from flight idle into the ground control range. This caused the left propeller to enter full reverse pitch while the right propeller remained in positive pitch. Consequently, the aircraft entered an extreme nose-low, left-bank attitude and crashed 2.6 nm from the runway into an unprepared sandy area near a road and residential structures. The impact caused the aircraft to break apart and ignited a fire.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating with an unstable approach profile, maintaining excessive speeds without proper flap or gear configuration.
- The movement of the power levers into the ground control range caused an asymmetrical propeller thrust condition, leading to the uncontrolled descent.
- The crash resulted in 43 fatalities and 3 injuries.