What happened
A charter flight carrying 36 passengers and five crew members departed from Sabetta, bound for Utrenly. During the descent toward the destination, the flight crew encountered marginal weather conditions. As the aircraft approached the runway, the co-pilot reported that the plane was stabilized at an altitude of 300 meters. However, as the descent continued to 80 meters, the navigator observed the aircraft drifting below the established glide path and alerted the captain, who noted that the runway remained visible.
Approximately 2,150 meters from the runway threshold, the radio altimeter alarm triggered for five seconds. During the short final phase, the aircraft's airspeed decreased from 220 km/h to 165 km/h, prompting the captain to execute a go-around. During this maneuver, the aircraft was pitched up to a 20-degree angle, but the speed further decayed to 125 km/h. At an insufficient altitude, the left main landing gear impacted a snowbank located 955 meters before the threshold of runway 19.
Following the impact with the snowbank, the aircraft experienced a positive acceleration of 2.2 G, struck the snow-covered terrain, and pivoted to the left. The aircraft ultimately broke into two pieces, with the wreckage coming to rest 865 meters from the runway threshold. All 41 occupants were successfully rescued, though three injuries were reported, including both pilots.
Findings
- The crew attempted a go-around maneuver while the aircraft was at an insufficient altitude and experiencing significant airspeed decay.