Incident
An aircraft was descending at night toward Abidjan-Félix Houphouët-Boigny Airport for runway 21. The captain reported the runway in sight and was instructed by air traffic control to report when on final approach. Seconds later, the aircraft nosed down, entered an uncontrolled descent, and crashed approximately 4 kilometers short of the runway. The impact ignited a fire that destroyed the aircraft. All 17 occupants were killed.
Investigation
The official investigation could not determine the exact cause of the loss of control. It was found that at the time of the accident, the aircraft was not in an approach configuration: the undercarriage and flaps were not deployed. Additionally, the aircraft's speed and rate of descent were excessive for reasons that remain unknown.
Probable Cause
The probable cause, as stated by the investigation, is that the exact cause of the loss of control could not be determined. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was not in an approach configuration as undercarriage and flaps were not deployed. The speed and the rate of descent were excessive for unknown reasons.