What happened
A flight operated by the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority (Autoritatea Aeronautică Civilă Romănă) was conducting a mission to calibrate precision approach radar and IFR equipment at several locations. After successfully completing tasks at Satu Mare Airport, the aircraft, a calibration flight mission, proceeded toward Baia Mare Airport. The flight was carrying three crew members and five passengers.
During the approach to Baia Mare, the crew had already completed three successful passes. As they began a fourth descent, air traffic control notified the pilot of deteriorating weather, specifically noting snowfall and visibility dropping to 3 km. During this final approach, the aircraft descended below the safe altitude and struck trees before impacting a house approximately 7.5 km before reaching runway 28. The impact destroyed both the aircraft and the building.
Findings
The accident resulted in eight fatalities among the aircraft occupants and two fatalities of individuals inside the house. One person on the ground sustained injuries. The primary factor in the crash was the pilot's failure to maintain the required altitude during the approach amidst worsening weather conditions.