Cargo Flight Crash in Icy Lake Near Surgut (CCCP-12996)

Incident Overview and Flight Details The aircraft was operating a cargo flight from Tyumen to Surgut when it crashed during a night final approach. The flight carried one passenger, six crew members, and a cargo load of 12 tons of herring from the Pacific. ## Approach and Loss of Control During the final approach, the aircraft was at an altitude of 400 meters and a speed of 330 km/h. The captain requested “flaps 15” when the aircraft became unstable and rolled left and right. Within seconds, it entered a nose-down attitude, accelerated to 395 km/h, and impacted an icy lake in a 90-degree left bank. The crash site was located 13.6 km from the runway threshold. ## Damage and Casualties The aircraft was totally destroyed. All seven occupants were killed. ## Official Findings The official probable cause was loss of control caused by an excessive accumulation of ice on the wing tips. Contributing factors included severe icing conditions and misuse of the de-icing systems by the crew, especially with regard to air bleeding of the engines.