What happened
During a scheduled check flight at Syktyvkar Airport, an aircraft experienced a critical loss of power while performing its final approach under nighttime conditions. While flying through clouds and icing environments, the first, second, and third engines all suffered flameouts.
The crew was unable to successfully feather the propeller, which subsequently entered auto-rotation. This failure created significant aerodynamic drag, causing the aircraft to lose both altitude and airspeed. The flight path deviated into a steep left bank of 90 degrees, leading the plane to strike treetops before crashing in a forested region near Verkhnyaya Maksakovka, situated approximately 10.2 km east of the airport.
The accident resulted in 7 fatalities among the crew members.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the engine flameouts were likely triggered by ice accumulation within the air intake. Additional contributing factors included the lack of experience among the crew and the inadequate performance of the aircraft's air-intake heating system.