What happened
During a nighttime arrival at Nouadhibou Airport, the flight crew operated in an environment characterized by restricted visibility. As the aircraft progressed along the final approach, it reached the established decision height of 300 feet. At this stage, the captain attempted to establish visual contact with the runway; however, a missed approach procedure was initially triggered.
Despite the transition toward a missed approach, the pilot elected to proceed with the landing attempt. During this continued descent, the aircraft struck the surface of the water and crashed into the sea at a distance of less than one kilometer from the runway threshold. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. The accident resulted in one fatality among the passengers and 18 injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the accident concluded that the primary factor was controlled flight into terrain (water). This occurred because the crew proceeded with the approach after passing the decision height while operating in marginal visibility conditions.