What happened
On the morning of the accident, an aircraft departed from Yerevan-Zvartnots Airport at 08:38 local time, heading toward its destination of Stepanavan. During the initial segment of the flight, the weather over the mountainous terrain was characterized by rain and poor visibility due to cloud cover. While maintaining an altitude of 2,320 meters within the clouds, the pilot initiated a left-hand turn. During this maneuver, the aircraft type struck a mountain slope situated approximately 10 km southwest of Stepanavan Airport.
The flight was carrying a total of 19 people, including 12 adults and 5 children. The impact resulted in 16 fatalities, while the two pilots and one passenger sustained injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified several contributing factors related to operational failures. A primary cause was inadequate flight preparation by both the flying crew and the operating company, which led to a breach of established procedures. Specifically, the crew attempted to navigate through cloud cover without maintaining visual contact with the ground.
Furthermore, the weather information provided to the crew was found to be inaccurate, failing to represent the actual conditions present during the flight. Additionally, the aircraft was operating in violation of capacity limits; while certified for a maximum of 12 passengers, the flight was carrying 17 passengers (comprising 12 adults and 5 children).