What happened
During an ILS approach, the aircraft was being operated at an airspeed of Vref plus 10 knots. While the captain established visual contact with the runway at approximately 350 feet above ground level, the aircraft began to drift above the glideslope. In an attempt to correct the glidepath, the copilot reduced engine power, which led to an excessive sink rate.
As the descent continued, the airspeed dropped to a critical level, triggering the activation of the stick shaker. The captain initiated a go-around procedure; however, the engines had not yet reached the necessary power levels to arrest the descent. Consequently, the aircraft struck the runway while maintaining a level attitude. The impact occurred near the midfield of the runway, and the plane eventually came to a stop in the snow, approximately 20 feet from the left side of the runway.
Findings
- The reduction of engine power to correct a high glideslope led to a loss of airspeed and an unsustainable sink rate.
- The delay in engine spool-up during the go-around attempt prevented the crew from recovering before the runway impact.