Flight History
The aircraft was engaged in a cargo flight from Voronezh to Susuman, with intermediate stops in Kurgan, Krasnoyarsk, and Lensk. It carried four passengers, five crew members, and a load of 3 tons of sausages and cheese.
Incident
After departure from Kurgan Airport, a fuel pump failed. The crew decided to divert to Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo Airport, where repairs were successfully conducted. En route to Susuman, while cruising at an altitude of 5,700 metres, the crew became disoriented and radio contact was difficult. Fuel reserves became low.
Emergency Landing
The captain decided to attempt an emergency landing 75 km southeast of Zyrianka Airport. With flaps extended to 38° and at a speed of 177 km/h, the aircraft crash-landed and slid for 488 metres before coming to rest. All nine occupants escaped with minor injuries. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the accident resulted from an emergency landing made necessary after the crew lost orientation following successive errors during pre-flight and en route operations. Reported contributing factors included poor flight planning and organization, the captain’s unjustified decision to change heading, ATC authorization of a heading change without knowing the aircraft's exact position, an aircraft weight 5,230 kg above MTOW at departure, and radio communication issues.