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The plane crashed short of the runway as it was coming in to land, killing nine people and injuring 84.
John Ling, Head of Transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said:
“It would appear that in good weather conditions, on the approach to the runway the aircraft suffered a sudden loss of power and lost height rapidly. It looks as if this could be classed as a crash landing. Witnesses say that the tail hit the ground first and broke off and this was where most of the casualties were seated.
“The engines sheared off on impact which probably helped avert a fire as they would have been very hot, presenting the greatest fire risk. The ground was soft which would have cushioned the impact to a certain degree and also would have limited damage to the underside of the fuel tanks and the fuel lines.
“It is pointless to speculate on the exact cause of the crash until the flight recorders are examined. However, lack of fuel would be unlikely as international regulations require aircraft to have sufficient fuel for “stacking” and diversions. This is a modern aircraft which has safety systems to reduce the possibility of the engines stalling and it should have been possible to land on one engine anyway. The pilot was experienced but it would appear that events happened very quickly and that would have given him little time to do anything other than try to keep the aircraft level.
“The fuselage broke up as it was designed to and each part remained reasonably intact which is a testimony to the design and safety of the aircraft. The passengers would have been wearing seatbelts which would also have helped reduce injuries.”