What happened
During an approach to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-Khalaktyrka Airport, an aircraft encountered adverse weather conditions characterized by rainfall and restricted visibility. While performing the descent, the crew did not maintain sufficient altitude relative to the terrain. Approximately 35 km from the destination airport, the aircraft collided with a snow-covered mountain slope at an elevation of 1,500 meters. The mountain peak involved in the collision reached an altitude of 2,310 meters. The force of the impact resulted in the total destruction of the airframe and caused 37 fatalities, with no survivors among the occupants.
Findings
Investigations into the crash determined that the accident was a result of controlled flight into terrain. This occurred because the crew attempted to conduct the approach using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) while operating within Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC).