What happened
During a scheduled test flight as part of a certification program, an aircraft departed from Kiev-Gostomel Airport with nine crew members on board. While the aircraft was cruising at 19,000 feet and traveling at a speed of 614 km/h, the radome broke apart. This structural failure caused the front cargo door to open and subsequently detach from the airframe.
Following the loss of the door, debris impacted the number three engine, triggering an automatic shutdown. The aircraft then experienced intense oscillations and vibrations. These events led to the failure of both the flight management system and the third hydraulic system. Consequently, the crew lost access to critical flight data, including altitude, airspeed, and angle of attack.
As the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent, the crew attempted to deploy flaps to decrease speed. However, an asymmetrical flap release caused the rate of descent to accelerate. The aircraft eventually impacted a wooded area situated approximately 1.5 km south of Korda and 43 km west of Kiev-Gostomel Airport. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and eight fatalities. One crew member, the engineer, survived the crash after bailing out during the descent but sustained serious injuries.
Findings
Investigation into the accident determined that the primary cause was a loss of control following the mid-air disintegration of the radome and the subsequent detachment of the front cargo door. While investigators could not confirm the specific reason for the radome's failure, they noted that a bird strike remained a possibility.