Part 4/8:
As they made their final approach at night and amidst deteriorating conditions, Captain Lutz mistakenly believed he could see the runway. In direct violation of standard operating procedures, Lutz’s eagerness to land masked his misunderstanding of the distance to the runway. They were actually four miles away—far from how close he believed they were.
When the radio altimeter warned they had reached 500 feet above ground, Lutz incorrectly dismissed the situation, ultimately causing the aircraft to skim dangerously low, crashing through trees before descending into the forest below Zurich. Tragically, the flames consumed the wreckage, leaving only seven survivors from the tail section while all others perished, including both pilots.