Incident Details
A four-engine aircraft departed Conakry Airport on an international scheduled flight to Moscow with intermediate stops at Rabat and Prague. While descending to Rabat, air traffic control informed the pilot that landing was not possible due to poor weather conditions. The aircraft was vectored and rerouted to Casablanca-Anfa Airport.
Unfamiliar with this airport, the pilot-in-command initiated an approach to runway 21 at an insufficient altitude. During the approach, the crew spotted a building in the approach path. The pilot increased power and gained altitude, causing the aircraft to pass above the glideslope. Despite this, the crew continued the approach, resulting in the airplane touching down too far down the runway.
After touchdown, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining runway distance. It overran the runway, lost its undercarriage, and came to rest 300 meters beyond the runway end. All 102 occupants were evacuated, among whom 10 were injured. The aircraft was destroyed, and its wreckage caused the airport to be closed to all traffic for three days.
Probable Cause
The official findings state the probable cause as: Wrong approach configuration on part of the crew. As the landing procedure seems to be non-compliant, the crew should have attempted a go-around maneuver.