What happened
A cargo flight operating from St Petersburg toward Nalchik, with a scheduled stop in Volgograd, was conducting its final approach when the accident occurred. The aircraft was transporting 12.5 tons of minted coins and was carrying seven passengers along with six crew members. During the descent, approximately 8 km from the airport, the flight crew set the flaps to a 35° angle while maintaining a speed of 260 km/h.
Shortly after this configuration change, the aircraft began experiencing longitudinal instability, characterized by pitching motions. The nose eventually rose to an angle of 15°, leading into an uncontrolled descent. The plane struck an open field roughly 4.5 km before reaching the runway threshold. At the moment of impact, the aircraft was traveling at 414 km/h in a 55° nose-down attitude. The force of the collision caused the aircraft to disintegrate, and all 13 fatalities were recorded.
Findings
Investigations into the accident concluded that the primary reason for the loss of control was excessive ice accumulation on the stabilizers. Furthermore, it was noted that the meteorological data provided to the crew regarding the destination weather was inaccurate, as the reports failed to indicate the presence of icing conditions.