What happened
During the final approach phase at Bombay-Santa Cruz Airport, the aircraft entered a nose-down attitude. This maneuver led to a landing characterized by excessive speed and a nose-first impact with the runway surface. The force of the collision caused the nose gear to collapse immediately upon touchdown.
Following the structural failure of the landing gear, the airplane slid along the runway on its nose before eventually coming to a stop. During this sequence, a fire broke out within the nose gear bay area. Despite the intensity of the impact and the resulting fire, all 15 occupants managed to evacuate the aircraft without sustaining any injuries. The aircraft itself sustained damage that was classified as beyond repair.
Findings
Investigations into the incident revealed that the co-pilot was acting as the pilot-in-command during the approach. The primary factor contributing to the accident was that the co-pilot utilized an incorrect approach configuration, which directly resulted in the high-speed, nose-first landing. Additionally, investigators noted a lack of adequate supervision by the captain during the flight operations.