What happened
During a visual approach into an airport situated within a steep mountain valley, the flight crew received a warning from air traffic control regarding low-level windshear. A previous aircraft had reported a 15-knot airspeed loss during its short final approach. While the first officer was operating the aircraft, the crew utilized spoilers during the left base leg and performed an S-turn on the final leg to manage a steep approach angle.
As the aircraft neared touchdown, the airspeed began to decline. The captain requested increased power and subsequently initiated a go-around procedure; however, the first officer failed to apply the necessary power, and the captain did not take manual control of the aircraft. The crew reported that at approximately 30 feet above ground level, the aircraft experienced a sensation of losing lift accompanied by a left roll, leading to an aerodynamic stall and immediate impact with the ground.
Following the initial impact, the aircraft struck obstacles that severed the right flap and the right main landing gear. The aircraft eventually came to a stop upright in the dirt, roughly 4,000 feet from the first point of impact. The aircraft type sustained significant damage to the wings and fuselage. Although a substantial fuel spill occurred, there was no fire following the crash. All eight occupants successfully evacuated the aircraft via the main cabin door.
Findings
Investigation of the enhanced ground proximity warning system revealed seven warning events in the three minutes preceding the accident. These included a sink rate alert at 1,317 feet above ground level during a descent of 3,400 feet per minute, and a bank angle alert approximately 10 seconds before impact when the aircraft exceeded a 42-degree bank.
At the time of the accident, the airport recorded a variable tailwind of 12 knots with gusts reaching 18 knots. The evidence indicates that the first officer conducted a non-stabilized approach while failing to compensate for the known windshear conditions, which allowed the airspeed to drop and the bank angle to increase until the aircraft entered a stall.