What happened
A flight traveling from Macau to Baucau was transporting 31 tons of telecommunications equipment for a Portuguese client. The aircraft was operated with a crew of four and two additional loadmasters, along with two passengers. During the landing approach to Cakung Airport in Timor-Leste, the aircraft struck terrain in the vicinity of Caicido village, located approximately 1 NM northwest of the airfield.
The impact and subsequent intense fire destroyed the aircraft. All six fatalities occurred among the occupants, which included the pilot in command, the co-pilot, the flight engineer, the flight navigator, and the two loadmasters.
Findings
At the time of the accident, meteorological conditions near the airport were characterized by low cloud cover and reduced visibility, with witnesses reporting a cloud base of roughly 1,000 feet and visibility of 1,500 meters. While the flight crew had received weather forecasts and NOTAMs prior to departing Macau, the specific weather reports required for the destination, such as a METAR or TAF for Baucau, were unavailable because they had not been generated for that location. The absence of terminal weather reports for the destination airport was a significant factor regarding the crew's situational awareness of the local conditions.