Bosnia and Herzegovina

The root cause of the accident is the entry of the aircraft into the cloud at a low altitude, in conditions of increased cloudiness, which led to the impact of the aircraft in the ground. The accident is caused by inadequate preparation of the crew for the flight, deviation of the crew from the planned and approved route by location (diversion from the given route) and flight height (flight at a lower altitude than the approved one), as well as not taking timely procedures to return to the given route and flight height, as well as incorrect actions in case of encountering a deteriorated weather situation on the route under VFR flight conditions.
The accident was affected by:
a) The decision of the manager on the manner of execution of the flight,
b) Ignoring information about the meteorological situation and weather forecast,
c) Inadequate preparation of the crew for the execution of the flight at a low altitude and in conditions of fire of the meteorological situation,
d) Non-compliance with VFR rules for minimum flight height and meteorological minimum for airspace class “F” and “G”,
e) Loss of visual contact with the ground.

The accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain after the crew initiated the approach prematurely. The following contributing factors were identified:
- Poor approach and landing preparation and planning,
- The crew ignored ATC information about the current meteorological situation at Mostar Airport,
- The crew misinterpreted the Final Approach Fix (FAF) with the Intermediate Approach Fix (IAF), causing the aircraft to start the descent prematurely,
- The crew disengaged the autopilot system during the approach while descending in complex meteorological conditions,
- Poor crew resources management,
- Lack of crew communication,
- The crew failed to comply with SOP's,
- Failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain flight level when the aircraft reached the MDA and failure of the second pilot to give adequate assistance.

The crew completed the approach at a too high altitude to avoid hostile fire, causing the aircraft to land too far down the runway and reducing the landing distance available. The runway surface was wet at the time of the accident, which was considered as a contributing factor as well as poor weather conditions.

Shot down by a Stinger missile.

Controlled flight into terrain.

The accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain caused by several errors on part of the crew, among them the following:
- The last turn was completed 2,7 NM further than prescribed,
- The airplane was approaching at an insufficient altitude to clear terrain,
- Its speed was in excess of 37 knots at impact,
- Lack of visibility caused by poor weather.

Engine problems on approach.