What happened
A flight traveling from Yakutsk to Irkutsk-Intl Airport was conducting a night approach when the accident occurred. The aircraft, which was transporting a cargo of food along with five crew members and four passengers, was cleared to land on runway 30. At the time of the approach, visibility was significantly reduced by nighttime conditions and falling snow.
During the descent, the flight crew was unable to maintain visual contact with the ground. In response to the low visibility, the captain executed a go-around maneuver. Shortly after this decision, the aircraft struck trees in a heavily wooded area situated approximately 3 km from the runway threshold. The impact caused the plane to burst into flames, resulting in the total destruction of the airframe. There were nine fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
- The approach was conducted during night operations with limited visibility caused by snowfall.
- The crew attempted a go-around after failing to establish visual references with the terrain.