What happened
During a night arrival at Guryev Airport (present-day Atyrau), an aircraft descended below the established glide path. The impact with the ground occurred approximately 45 meters before reaching the runway threshold, while traveling at a velocity of 210 km/h. Following the initial contact, the aircraft experienced two bounces before striking the runway surface in a nose-down orientation. This impact subjected the nose landing gear to a positive acceleration force of 3.5 g.
As a result of the collision, the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it beyond repair. Despite the severity of the impact, there were no injuries among the 43 occupants on board during the incident.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the descent below the glide path was the result of an error made by the flying crew. Specifically, the investigation concluded that the primary factor was an incorrect approach configuration implemented by the pilot-in-command.