South Korean authorities have published the conclusions of an investigation into the crash of an Air China flight on April 15, 2002, said the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) on Sunday.

It found that the crew had made an inappropriate approach for such a large plane, but failed to make a second attempt to fly in before landing as they should have, said a CAAC source.

Air China had maintained that in addition to crew error, bad weather and mismanagement from air traffic control had contributed to the accident.

The Air China Boeing 767-200 from Beijing crashed into a mountain in heavy rain and fog while attempting to land at Kimhae International Airport near Pusan.

Eleven crewmembers and 155 passengers, of whom 135 were Korean, 19 Chinese and one Uzbekistani, were on board. Only 38 people survived and 6 people were never found.

According to an international civil aviation agreement, South Korea, China and the US participated in the investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2005)