[fingpilot]

Have flown here as well. Runway was a one-way in and out. Meaning approach and land from the north onto a rwy that parallel skirts a beach with a volcano at the south end of the runway. Miss the approach, and it is an E-ticket ride for the pax. The winds (on an island) are always blowing, and it was not unusual for there to be a 10 knot tailwind at both ends of the runway, meaning that even if you swung clear of the volcano and made a pass at landing from the south, you'd still be in these swirling winds all the way to touchdown. Coral pavement on runway shredded the tires (not necessarily because of the heavy braking), the mechs could always tell if I'd landed in French Polynesia or the Cosmoros Islands.

A nightmare at night, or in bad weather (very common).

Story is they missed the first approach, at night, in bad weather, and splashed short of the island on second approach. Black Hole Syndrome is suspected. BTDT, it is a nasty place. Top it off with the fact that departure and destination are both insurgent/terrorist meccas (pardon the pun), and it is a recepie for disaster.

Am always sorry to hear of the loss of life, but I doubt this was an airplane problem.