The NTSB discovered from eyewitnesses that the airport's control tower could not see the flight arriving due to low visibility.

[5][6] Investigators discovered that the captain was relying on the aircraft's autothrottle, believing that it would automatically decrease turbine power.

In the NTSB's final report, the probable cause of SAS Flight 901 states that "The flightcrew's disregard for prescribed procedures for monitoring and controlling of airspeed during the final stages of the approach and (b) decision to continue the landing rather than to execute a missed approach, and (c) overreliance on the autothrottle speed control system which had a history of recent malfunctions".

[6][8] The NTSB had issued two safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration on November 16, 1984, one day after releasing the final report.

[10]After the accident, mechanics found that LN-RKB suffered substantial damage, but was later repaired and returned to service, until it was bought by Federal Express in 1985, reregistered as N311FE, and converted into a freighter.