Background
An aircraft was en route from Ivano-Frankivsk to Uzhgorod when the crew was informed that Uzhgorod Airport was closed to traffic due to poor weather conditions. The crew received instructions to divert to Mukachevo Airport instead.
Sequence of Events
On approach to Mukachevo, the crew encountered clouds and icing conditions. After being cleared to descend, the crew selected flaps down to 38°. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft lost longitudinal stability. It then entered a nose-down attitude and plunged at an angle of 70° at a speed of 230 km/h into an open field located 100 meters past the outer marker. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 24 occupants were killed.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined that the loss of control occurred in icing conditions while the deicing systems were switched off. On approach, when the flaps were selected down, the stabilizers were covered by ice, which caused the airplane to become unstable. At an altitude of 200 meters, control was lost when the airplane entered a nose-down attitude, and the distance to the ground was insufficient to expect recovery.