Much had been posted about the behaviour of the pilots, not all was correct.
Flaps to 5" 35 knots ABOVE the limit for Flaps 5
VFE (flaps 5°) is 250 KIAS - they were set at 245 KCAS
But for me there is another perspective to the accident. That is the information that has been made available via AIP to those planning to fly to EDFE, which has been proven to be irritating and a bit chaotic.
The recommendations are quite revealing:
Recommendation: 12/2012
The Darmstadt Regional Council, in cooperation and coordination with the competent air traffic control agency and the Federal Supervisory Office for ATC (Bundesaufsichtsamt für Flugsicherung, BAF) the procedures for conducting flight under visual flight rules (VFR) to and from the airport Frankfurt-Egelsbach. The description of the procedure should be simple, understandable and free of contradictions and should be published in the AIP.
This also applies to VFR charts.
Since all of the above should be absolutely standard and no-brainer, I see it as a major exposure of incompetency that the officials were not able to adhere to worldwide standards without being reminded.
Recommendation: 14/2012
In the VFR charts of Frankfurt-Egelsbach it should be made obvious that the descent angle of 4.4° during final approach is mandatory due to the obstacle situation. The wooded hills east of the square
should be presented as an obstacle in the charts.
If you have a look at the approach charts yourself (partly scanned in the report) you might agree that they are quite cluttered with irrelevant information. Four pages of bureaucratic non-sense (e. g. repeating the depicted VFR traffic pattern in words - in case you cannot read a map) do not contain a hint that could have saved lifes again. But you are reminded to keep your transponder on and to "report overflying the compulsory reporting points". (sic!) But you do not find the hint for the 4,4° glideslope in the lengthy description of the approach. You find it in the Aerodrome Chart - if you are looking there for approach info, that is.
Egelsbach AIP is for me a perfect example for non-priorisation of information. It's printed in the
map (not in the several pages text part) that "Take-offs and landings by students without instructor are not allowed." But NOT that the terrain is higher east of the field.
The last fatal accident occurred 2,5 years before in a KingAir 90, they impacted only 50 meters away. The maps weren't amended with any terrain warning.