On May 27, 1994, a Mitsubishi MU-2 Marquise (registration F-GDHV) operated by Air Oceania Tahiti was involved in an aviation accident near Papeete, French Polynesia during landing or approach. 5 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot failed to maintain a safe altitude during the final approach due to poor visibility and a lack of visual references. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A).
A twin-engine aircraft crashed into the ocean near Tahiti during a night-time medical transport flight, resulting in five fatalities.
What happened
During a night-time medical transport mission from the Cook Islands to Tahiti, a twin-engine aircraft crashed into the ocean. The flight was operating as an ambulance service, transporting two patients from Australia along with two doctors and one pilot.
As the flight was performing its final approach to runway 04 at Papeete-Faaa Airport, the aircraft descended below the required altitude. The plane struck the water approximately 6.4 km before reaching the runway. The impact occurred while the aircraft was in a flat attitude, and no distress signal was transmitted by the crew before the collision. All five people on board were killed in the accident.
Findings
Investigations into the accident highlighted that the pilot failed to maintain a safe altitude during the short final phase of the approach. The primary contributing factors identified were the lack of visibility and visual references during the nighttime descent, which prevented the crew from recognizing the insufficient altitude of the aircraft.
Probable cause
The pilot failed to maintain a safe altitude during the final approach due to poor visibility and a lack of visual references.
