Accident Details
On final approach to Bombay-Santa Cruz Airport, the aircraft assumed a nose-down attitude and touched down nose-first at an excessive speed. Upon impact, the nose gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to slide on its nose until it stopped on the runway. A fire ignited in the nose gear bay. All 15 occupants evacuated without injury. The aircraft sustained damage beyond economical repair.
Investigation and Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the copilot was the pilot-in-command at the time of the accident. The probable cause was that the copilot adopted a wrong approach configuration, which resulted in the aircraft landing nose-first at too high a speed. Additionally, a lack of supervision on the part of the captain was considered as a contributing factor.