What happened
On the morning of the accident, a scheduled domestic flight operated by Malaysia Airlines, flight MH213 and registration 9M-MGH, departed Kota Kinabalu for Tawau. The Fokker 27 flight, carrying 53 persons on board, experienced a 30-minute departure delay due to the late arrival of the aircraft from Labuan. The flight proceeded under Instrument Flight Rules at a cruising altitude of 17,000 feet.
During the approach phase, the crew requested a descent to 10,500 feet. While navigating the terminal area, the aircraft was positioned behind a Cessna 206. After communicating with the tower and the other aircraft, the crew was cleared to descend to 7,000 feet. As the aircraft approached Tawau, the crew reported visual contact with the airfield and was cleared for a visual approach to runway 17.
During the final stages of the approach, the aircraft maintained an excessive airspeed and a high rate of descent exceeding 3,000 feet per minute. Despite the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) issuing both sink rate and pull-up alerts, the pilot continued the approach. The aircraft touched down approximately 3,400 feet from the runway threshold, bounced, and made subsequent heavy contact with the runway at the 4,800-foot mark. With only 800 feet of runway remaining, the aircraft overran the paved surface, crossed the perimeter fence, and crashed into the grass verge. The impact caused explosions and a fire that destroyed the aircraft.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating at an excessive rate of descent and high airspeed during the final approach.
- The flight crew ignored GPWS warnings regarding sink rate and pull-up maneuvers.