What happened
During a nighttime cargo operation from Yakutsk to Magadan, an aircraft carrying eight crew members and two passengers struck a snow-covered mountain slope. The flight was transporting 12 tons of vegetables at the time of the accident. While descending to an altitude of approximately 570 meters during an approach to Magadan-Sokol Airport, the pilot attempted a go-around maneuver. During this phase, the aircraft impacted terrain roughly 13.7 km before reaching the runway. The impact caused the plane to disintegrate, and there were 10 fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
Investigations into the crash determined that the accident was a controlled flight into terrain resulting from several navigational mistakes by the crew. These errors led to a failure to adhere to established procedures, which caused the aircraft to deviate from its intended path by 5.6 km during the approach. Additional contributing elements included reduced visibility caused by nighttime conditions and rainfall, as well as a lack of sufficient assistance from air traffic control.