Incident Overview
A midair collision occurred between a civil Ilyushin II-14M and a Soviet Air Force Antonov AN-12BP. The II-14M (registration CCCP-52018) was operating an Aeroflot flight from Moscow-Bykovo to Simferopol, Ukraine, via Chernigov and Kirovograd, carrying 19 passengers and a crew of 5. The AN-12BP was performing a military flight from Kėdainiai to Ryazan with 91 soldiers and a crew of 5, flying as the third aircraft in a three-ship formation.
Sequence of Events
En route, the crew of the II-14M encountered turbulence while cruising in poor weather conditions. They requested air traffic control permission to modify their altitude, but the request was denied due to heavy traffic. Despite the denial, the captain began to climb in marginal weather conditions. Shortly thereafter, at a height of 2,950 meters, the two aircraft collided. The top of the tail of the AN-12BP struck the base of the fuselage of the II-14M. Both aircraft lost control, dove into the ground, and crashed in a field approximately 800 meters apart. All 120 occupants on both aircraft were killed.
Official Findings
The probable cause, as determined by the investigation, was that the captain of the civil aircraft (II-14M) neglected elemental navigation rules in starting a descent while this was denied and refused by ATC due to heavy traffic.