Date:	Saturday 14 October 2017
Time:	08:23
Type:	Antonov An-26-100
Owner/operator:	Valan International Cargo Charter
Registration:	ER-AVB
MSN:	3204
Year of manufacture:	1975
Engine model:	Ivchenko AI-24VT
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 10
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	0,8 km S off Abidjan-Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport (ABJ) -   Cote d'Ivoire
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Cargo
Departure airport:	Ouagadougou Airport (OUA/DFFD)
Destination airport:	Abidjan-Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport (ABJ/DIAP)
Investigating agency:	BEA Côte d’Ivoire
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The Antonov An-26-100 aircraft, operated by Valan International Cargo Charter, on a military and cargo transport flight for the French forces, took off from Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) at 05:58 , bound for Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), for an estimated landing at 08:04. The captain was Pilot Not Flying (PNF), the copilot was Pilot Flying (PF).
At 06:43, the aircraft entered Abidjan's airspace.
At 07:55, the crew was cleared for an ILS Z runway 21 approach procedure, and to descend to 2700 ft, report passing FL50. Four minutes later, the Regional Control Centre called the crew back to inform them that the current procedure now was the VOR Z runway 03 approach. Weather was reported a wind from 40° at 12kt, visibility 4000m, light rain, scattered clouds at 150m and 330m, some cumulonimbus at 600m.
The flight crew then prepared for the approach and turned down an offer to use runway 21 as the wind had changed direction to 060° at 13kt.
At 08:05, the crew contacted the Tower and informed it that they were descending through FL50 towards runway 03. The Tower Controller cleared him to descend to 2200 ft. As the flight continued, the PNF reported not being able to receive the VOR.
At 08:16 the flight turned onto the final approach heading and at 11 nautical miles out, the PNF instructed the Pilot Flying to use the GPS. At 08:20, the crew informed the Tower that they were passing 7 NM and were cleared to land on runway 03 by the controller, who informed them of a wind of 040°/10kt.
In between clouds the crew observed boats on the water below them. Visibility decreased and the Tower controller increased the brightness of the runway edge and PAPI lights. Descent was continued although the crew was not able to see the runway ahead. After passing Decision Altitude the PNF confirmed the crew's intentions to land. The aircraft descended until it struck the surface of the sea, about 800 meters short of the threshold of runway 03. The aircraft broke in three upon impact. All three flight crew members and one passenger died.

Causes of the accident
The probable cause of this accident is the continuation of the approach below minimums without having established formal visual contact with runway references and without adequate monitoring of the aircraft's glide path. The rigorous application of the company SOPs should have necessarily led to a go-around.
The following factors contributed to the accident:
- Underestimation of adverse weather conditions below minimums;
- A lack of knowledge of the environment of Abidjan airport and insufficient awareness of the aircraft's vertical position;
- Inadequate monitoring of aircraft instruments and flight path (altitude and speed) in degraded weather conditions;
- A high workload due to continued final approach training and distraction from tasks not related to flight operations;
- Disabling EGPWS audible alerts due to unwanted alarms;
- Crew resource management (CRM) probably unbalanced by the authority of the PNF over the rest of the crew.
- Strict non-compliance with company SOPs.

07:35 UTC / 07:35 local time:
DIAP 140735Z VRB05KT 4000 -RA SCT011 OVC030 25/24 Q1013 TEMPO 2500 RA

08:00 UTC / 08:00 local time:
DIAP 140800Z 06016KT 4000 -RA SCT005 SCT011 FEW020CB OVC030 24/23 Q1013 TEMPO 2500 TSRA

08:03 UTC / 08:03 local time:
DIAP 140803Z 06016KT 4000 -TSRA SCT005 SCT011 FEW020CB OVC030 23/22 Q1013 TEMPO 2500 TSRA

08:30 UTC / 08:30 local time:
DIAP 140830Z 06012KT 4000 -TSRA SCT005 SCT011 FEW020CB OVC030 23/22 Q1014 TEMPO 2500 TSRA

08:38 UTC / 08:38 local time:
DIAP 140838Z 03010KT 2700 TSRA SCT005 SCT011 FEW020CB OVC030 23/22 Q1013 TEMPO 1300 TSRA

08:57 UTC / 08:57 local time:
DIAP 140857Z 03008KT 6000 -TSRA SCT005 SCT011 FEW020CB OVC030 23/22 Q1013 RERA TEMPO 4000 TSRA

09:00 UTC / 09:00 local time:
DIAP 140900Z 03008KT 6000 -TSRA SCT005 SCT011 FEW020CB OVC030 23/22 Q1013 RERA TEMPO 4000 TSRA

Côte d'Ivoire: Un avion s'écrase en mer peu après son décollage d'Abidjan (koaci.com, 14 Oct. 2017)
Crash d’un avion à Abidjan: 4 Moldaves tués et 6 blessés (Ministre) (actu225.com, 14 Oct. 2017)

photo (c) BEA; Abidjan-Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport (ABJ); 14 October 2017

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