Background
A flight from Khalaktyrka to Esso was underway, with a leg from Khalaktyrka to Kozyrevsk. The crew chose to take a route over the mountains rather than following the valleys, despite weather conditions that did not permit such a deviation.
Accident
While flying over the Ganalskiye gory range, the aircraft entered clouds and subsequently crashed under control at an altitude of 1,230 metres on the slope of a 1,280-metre mountain, located approximately 16 km east of Malka in the Yelizovo district of Kamchatka. After impact, the aircraft slid 700 metres down the slope before coming to rest in the valley of the Zubastaya River.
Aftermath
Both pilots were killed in the accident. All 11 passengers sustained injuries, with 8 of them reported as serious. The crash site and survivors were located a day later, on 11 January 1969.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the probable cause was a wrong decision on the part of the flying crew, who deviated from published procedures and followed a non-compliant route. The accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain.