Flight and Accident
An aircraft en route from Luanda to Malabo was flying at an altitude of 4,200 meters when the crew received the last weather briefing for Malabo Airport and was cleared to descend for a landing on runway 05. Air traffic control (ATC) requested the crew to report once runway 05 was in sight. The crew provided an estimated time of arrival four minutes later at 0752 local time. While approaching at an altitude of 750 meters and a speed of 490 km/h, the airplane struck the south slope of Mount San Carlos, located 48 kilometers southwest of Malabo Airport.
Wreckage Discovery and Recovery
The wreckage was sighted by the pilot of the personal helicopter of the Equatorial Guinea President five days later, on June 6. Search and rescue (SAR) teams were dispatched and arrived on scene on June 18. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. All 45 occupants were killed.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation stated that the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. ATC assistance was considered good, and all necessary information was transmitted to the crew; ATC was not the cause of the accident. The possibility that the aircraft's radar was not operating at the time of the accident was not ruled out. The investigation suggested that possible erroneous calculation on the part of the crew may have caused the aircraft to descend prematurely and fly on the wrong path to runway 05. Consequently, the accident may have been the result of a controlled flight into terrain.
Probable Cause
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. ATC assistance was considered good and was not causal. The assumption that the aircraft radar was not operating at the time of the accident was not ruled out. Possible erroneous calculation on the part of the crew may have caused the aircraft to descend prematurely and to fly on the wrong path to runway 05. In consequence, the accident may be the result of a controlled flight into terrain.