What happened
During a scheduled cargo flight traveling from Batumi to Kiev, an aircraft carrying a load of mandarins, five crew members, and 12 passengers experienced a critical systems failure. While the flight was cruising at an altitude of 4,150 meters, the captain requested that the deicing systems be engaged. During this process, the copilot inadvertently shut down all four engines.
Following the loss of power, the crew attempted to restart the engines, but a series of errors prevented a successful recovery. The captain declared an emergency and received clearance to divert to Boryspil Airport. However, the aircraft was unable to sustain its flight altitude. The crew attempted an emergency landing in an open field situated approximately 12 km northwest of the airport, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft.
Findings
All 17 occupants of the aircraft were successfully rescued from the wreckage, though 14 individuals sustained injuries. The primary cause of the descent was the accidental shutdown of all four engines during the activation of deicing procedures.