What happened
During the descent toward Zurich-Kloten Airport, the flight crew encountered difficulties regarding the cabin pressure. The flight engineer was required to manage these pressure fluctuations manually, which diverted attention from standard cockpit procedures. During this period of technical troubleshooting, the captain's command to extend the landing gear was not properly received or understood by the engineer.
As a result, the aircraft type (unspecified) completed its approach without the landing gear deployed. The plane made contact with runway 16 on its underbelly, sliding for approximately 875 metres before the impact triggered a fire. Despite the intensity of the slide and subsequent flames, all 20 occupants were successfully evacuated from the wreckage without any reported injuries. The aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
Investigations into the incident highlighted several critical failures in cockpit management. It was noted that the crew did not respond to the landing gear warning alarm during the approach. The primary contributing factors identified include:
- Inadequate planning of the approach procedure
- A breakdown in coordination between the flight crew members
- A lack of concentration due to the ongoing cabin pressure issues