What happened
During a meteorological survey operation over the Baltic Sea, an aircraft carrying six crew members and two passengers was en route to Kaliningrad-Khrabrovo Airport. While navigating through low cloud cover, the aircraft descended into trees, which led to a loss of altitude and a subsequent crash into a school building located approximately 200 meters from the initial impact site. The collision and the resulting post-crash fire caused the total destruction of the aircraft and significant damage to the school structure.
The accident resulted in the deaths of all eight occupants on board the aircraft. On the ground, the impact claimed the lives of 27 people, including 23 children and three adults. Additionally, two other children sustained serious injuries during the event.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the crew did not correctly configure the altimeter settings prior to the approach. This error caused the aircraft to maintain an altitude that was too low for the terrain and obstacles. The presence of low visibility due to heavy cloud cover and a lack of adequate assistance from air traffic control were also identified as contributing factors to the disaster.