What happened
A charter flight operated by a crew of seven departed Ljubljana at 07:41LT, bound for Ajaccio. The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 was carrying 173 passengers at the time of departure. During the flight, which initially proceeded normally at FL330, the aircraft descended to FL190. At some point during this phase, a child was permitted to sit in the observer's seat within the cockpit.
At 08:47LT, the flight transitioned to Ajaccio Approach control. The controller instructed the crew to fly to the AJO VOR at FL110 and provided weather updates, noting that runway 21 was active. While over the VOR at 08:49LT, the aircraft was cleared to descend to 3,300 feet on the 247 radial. Shortly after, the crew reported they were rolling inbound out of 6,000 feet, which placed the aircraft below the minimum holding altitude of 6,800 feet for that sector. The crew also noted they had entered cloud cover.
Following a period of silence after the controller's last instruction, the aircraft's GPWS activated. Although the crew increased engine power to attempt an ascent, the left wing impacted the Punta di Junca at 285 knots, causing partial structural failure. The aircraft rolled and struck cliffs approximately 700 meters below the impact point, roughly 32 km southeast of Ajaccio-Campo dell’Oro Airport. The crash resulted in 180 fatalities and the total destruction of the aircraft.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary cause was a descent that placed the aircraft in clouds below the minimum safe altitude for the flight path. This maneuver was further complicated by strong descending air currents caused by terrain and wind, which the crew's recovery attempt could not overcome.
Several contributing factors were identified:
- The crew lacked sufficient rigor during approach preparation, failing to properly monitor safe altitudes and maximum holding speeds.
- The presence of a child in the cockpit acted as a distraction for the crew.
- Communication discrepancies between the captain and the air traffic controller led to an inaccurate understanding of the aircraft's actual position and procedure.
- The aircraft exceeded the maximum speed permitted for the holding pattern, and the crew failed to adjust for altitude-specific wind conditions.
- The approach charts used by the crew did not adequately reflect the impact of real-world wind on the dimensions of the holding circuit.