What happened
A fatal mid-air collision occurred between two aircraft operating in the same airspace under difficult meteorological conditions. The first aircraft, a Soviet Air Force AN-12BP, was transporting 91 soldiers and a crew of five from Kėdainiai to Ryazan as part of a three-aircraft formation.
Simultaneously, an Aeroflot Ilyushin II-14M, registered CCCP-52018, was performing a scheduled flight from Moscow-Bykovo toward Simferopol via Chernigov and Kirovograd. This aircraft was carrying 19 passengers and a crew of five. While cruising through turbulent and poor weather, the crew of the Ilyushin II-14M requested authorization from air traffic control to change their altitude. This request was rejected by controllers due to high traffic density in the area.
Despite not receiving clearance, the captain of the Ilyushin II-14M initiated a climb. At an altitude of 2,950 meters, the two aircraft collided. The upper portion of the tail of the AN-12BP impacted the lower fuselage of the Ilyushin II-14M. Following the impact, both aircraft lost control and descended into a field, coming to rest approximately 800 meters apart. The accident resulted in 120 fatalities, leaving no survivors from either flight.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary factor was the unauthorized altitude change performed by the captain of the civil aircraft, who disregarded air traffic control instructions and violated standard navigation procedures.