Accident British Aerospace BAe-146-100 EC-GEO,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 323889

Date:	Friday 25 September 1998
Time:	07:50
Type:	British Aerospace BAe-146-100
Owner/operator:	Paukn Air
Registration:	EC-GEO
MSN:	E1007
Year of manufacture:	1983
Engine model:	Lycoming ALF502R-3A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 38 / Occupants: 38
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	15,3 km N of Melilla Airport (MLN) - Morocco
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Málaga Airport (AGP/LEMG)
Destination airport:	Melilla Airport (MLN/GEML)
Investigating agency:	MinTrans Morocco
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Paukn Air Flight 4101, a BAe-146 jet, took off from Malaga, Spain, at 07:25 hours local time for a flight across the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish enclave Melilla on the Moroccan coast. Flight 4101 climbed to the cruising altitude of FL140. The copilot contacted ATC at Sevilla and received clearance to descend to FL70. Two minutes later the flight was further cleared to 5000 feet and the crew were instructed to contact Melilla Tower. The copilot reported to the Melilla Tower controller that they were 30 nm from the airport, descending to 5000 feet.
Melilla Tower then reported that runway 33 was in use and reported wind at 270 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 8 km with few clouds at 1000 feet. At 06:45 the copilot reported that they were at 22nm at an altitude of 3000 feet. By now they had descended below the MSA of 4000 feet. The descent was continued and the airplane crossed the coast line at about 1100 feet. In IMC conditions the flight descended over mountainous terrain. At 07:49:52 the GPWS alarm sounded "terrain, terrain". Dangerously close to terrain, at about 890 feet, the GPWS alarm sounded again "Whoop, whoop, Pull Up, Whoop, whoop, Pull Up". The airplane struck terrain at an elevation of 886 feet and broke up.

CONCLUSION: "Given the facts and analysis conducted, the Commission concluded that the accident was caused by a collision with terrain in IMC. This confirms the hypothesis put forward by members of the committee of investigation from the beginning of their investigations, it is a type of CFIT accident (collision with the ground without loss of control) due to a combination of several factors:
- Non-application of the arrival procedure, including descending below the minimum safe altitude;
- Inadequate crew coordination;
- Non-application of company procedures regarding GPWS alarm. "

Accident investigation: