Accident
A flight from Baku to Aktau crashed into the Caspian Sea near Nardaran, approximately 35 km northeast of Baku, less than five minutes after departure. The aircraft departed at night under difficult weather conditions with caged gyro horizons. The crew lost spatial orientation, and the aircraft entered a steep right downward spiral, impacting the sea. All 5 crew members and 18 passengers were killed. Among the passengers were 15 Azerbaijanis, one Briton, one Australian, one Turkish, one Georgian, and four Kazakhs.
Investigation
Investigators found that the gyro horizons failed after takeoff due to a malfunction, which was caused by counterfeit assemblies and instruments that had been installed by KhGAPP during the production of the aircraft.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause states that the gyro horizons failed due to the installation of counterfeit components by KhGAPP. This failure led to the crew losing situational awareness and suffering spatial disorientation, resulting in an uncontrolled descent and crash into the sea. The lack of visual references at night was considered a contributing factor.