What happened
During a flight segment traveling from Qal'ai Khumb toward Tavildara, the crew encountered meteorological conditions that were below established minimums, characterized by cloud cover obscuring mountain summits. While navigating this terrain, the aircraft drifted 8 km west of its intended flight path. The plane subsequently struck a snow-covered slope within the Darwaz Mountain range, located approximately 9 km SSW of Sagirdasht in the Gorny Badakhshan region.
The accident resulted in 11 fatalities, including two of the three crew members (one of whom was a check pilot) and nine of the ten passengers. Two individuals survived the impact but sustained serious injuries. Search efforts located the wreckage on 31 March 1969, and the two survivors were successfully evacuated on 02 April 1969.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the crew chose to proceed with the flight despite weather conditions failing to meet legal minimums, which was a violation of established flight procedures. Additional contributing factors included inadequate assistance from air traffic control and insufficient support provided by meteorological services.