​​​​The accident occurred at 5:45 p.m. after the twin-engine jet's nose landing gear collapsed rearward and upward into the fuselage, damaging the electronics bay, which houses avionics and other equipment. The exterior of the airplane was also damaged from sliding 2,175 feet on its nose along Runway 4 before coming to rest, off to the right side of the runway. 

Southwest flight 345 originated in Nashville. All 145 passengers and five crew members evacuated the airplane, with nine being treated for minor injuries. The airplane's slides deployed normally. 

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We determined the probable cause(s) of this accident to be  the captain's attempt to recover from an unstabilized approach by transferring airplane control at low altitude instead of performing a go-around. Contributing to the accident was the captain's failure to comply with standard operating procedures.