What happened
While operating a flight from Athens toward Larisa, the crew received notification from air traffic control that Larisa Airport was unavailable for arrivals due to adverse weather. Consequently, the flight was redirected to Kozani.
During the approach to Kozani, the twin engine airplane was descending through an altitude of 4,265 feet. The aircraft subsequently collided with a mountain slope situated approximately 25 km south of the airport. The impact caused the airframe to break apart. There were 50 fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft.
At the time of the collision, environmental conditions were extremely poor. The mountain peak was obscured by clouds, and visibility for the crew was restricted to only 20 metres.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the accident was the result of controlled flight into terrain. This occurred after the pilot-in-command initiated a descent earlier than intended.