Investigation Summary
The flight was originally scheduled to be operated by a Boeing 737-300 (HA-LES), but a last-minute engine problem forced the airline to substitute a Tupolev Tu-154B-2. During the descent into Thessaloniki, the crew encountered several distractions. The Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) sounded repeatedly due to the mountainous terrain, leading the crew to deactivate the system to stop the audible alerts. The flight was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 34, followed by a visual circle to land on runway 28, as runway 34 was closed for construction. Upon reaching the airport, the crew was instructed to extend their downwind leg because a Boeing 757 (Condor flight CFG851) was still vacating the runway. Instead, the crew performed an S-shaped maneuver to line up with the runway sooner than expected. This resulted in a high-speed, unstabilized approach where the crew neglected to perform the before-landing checklist. Because the GPWS was disabled, no internal warning sounded when the gear remained retracted. A pilot on the ground noticed the retracted gear and radioed a warning, prompting the Malév captain to apply full throttle. However, due to the slow spool-up time of the Tu-154's engines, the aircraft touched down on its belly at 300 km/h before lifting off again.
Final Conclusions
The Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board (AAIASB) of Greece concluded that the primary cause was the crew's failure to lower the undercarriage in accordance with applicable procedures. This was driven by an unstabilized approach where the crew's attention was exclusively dedicated to performing sudden maneuvers at low altitude to align with the runway. Contributing factors included the inactivation of the audible gear warning system and a lack of Cockpit Resource Management (CRM).
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
First Officer
Systems & Failure Modes
GPWS
The Ground Proximity Warning System was manually deactivated by the crew during the descent to silence alerts triggered by terrain, which also silenced the gear-up warning.
Kuznetsov NK-8-2U Engines
The jet engines had a slow response time (spool-up), which prevented the aircraft from climbing away before impacting the runway when the go-around was initiated.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-154B-2 manufactured in 1982.
- 02The Tu-154's large landing gear pods acted as sleds during the belly landing, protecting the wings and flaps from more severe damage.
- 03The aircraft was carrying over 30 tons of jet fuel at the time of the incident.
- 04The airframe was donated to the Thessaloniki airport fire department for training and was eventually scrapped in 2018.
- 05The flight was a last-minute equipment substitution for a Boeing 737-300.
Safety Actions & Advisories
CRM Training
The investigation highlighted a lack of Cockpit Resource Management, leading to reinforced emphasis on CRM in Malév's pilot training programs.