What happened
During the final approach phase at Arkhangelsk-Vaskovo Airport, the flight crew encountered challenging meteorological conditions characterized by snow showers. As the aircraft progressed toward the landing site, the captain experienced a loss of visual contact with the runway environment. Despite this loss of visual cues, the approach was continued, but the aircraft subsequently became misaligned with the center of the runway.
As a result of this misalignment, the aircraft touched down to the right of the designated runway surface. The excursion led to a collision with a nearby snow bank. Although the impact caused the aircraft to be damaged beyond repair, all 38 occupants were able to evacuate the plane without any reported fatalities or injuries.
Findings
- The crew was operating in marginal weather conditions involving active snow showers.
- The pilot continued the approach after losing visual contact with the runway, which led to the aircraft's lateral deviation from the landing strip.