What happened
During a night departure from runway 07 at Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo Airport, an aircraft began its climb to an altitude of approximately 200 meters. Shortly after takeoff, while passing through cloud cover, the crew notified air traffic control regarding a fire occurring on board. Although the pilot was granted permission to perform an emergency landing back at the airport, the aircraft lost controllability roughly 24 seconds after the initial report.
The plane transitioned into a nose-down descent and collided with an open field situated about 3 km from the airfield at a velocity of 335 km/h. The force of the impact caused the aircraft to break apart, leaving debris spread across a 552-meter area. There were six fatalities among the occupants. At the time of the accident, the plane was transporting 11,278 kilograms of prefabricated cargo.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that a fire originated within the cargo hold during the takeoff sequence. While investigators confirmed the presence of the fire in the compartment, they could not pinpoint the specific source or trigger for the blaze.