What happened
During the final approach and landing phase, the aircraft touched down with a nose-down attitude. This orientation caused the nose landing gear to make contact with the runway before the rest of the gear. The force of the impact led to the immediate collapse of the nose gear, which subsequently caused the fuselage to break into two distinct sections.
As the two pieces of the aircraft slid several dozen meters along the runway, the rear section of the fuselage remained largely intact. However, the forward section of the aircraft came to a stop and ignited, resulting in a fire.
Emergency procedures led to the evacuation of 42 passengers and crew members. During the evacuation, 24 individuals sustained injuries. The pilot, who was trapped within the cockpit area during the breakup and fire, was killed in the accident.
Findings
- The primary factor in the structural failure was the nose-down attitude during the landing touchdown, which placed excessive stress on the forward landing gear.