Cargo Flight Crash Near Rostov-on-Don (CCCP-26627)

Flight Details and Accident Sequence The aircraft was operating a cargo flight from Sukhumi to Krasnovodsk with intermediate stops at Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don. The flight carried 12 passengers (pilots and engineers), four crew members, and a cargo load of one ton of mandarins and Christmas trees. Upon departure from Rostov-on-Don Airport, weather conditions were poor due to night and fog, with vertical visibility reduced to 60 meters and horizontal visibility to 720 meters. The aircraft rotated after a takeoff run of 750 meters at a speed of 233 km/h. While climbing to a height of 170 meters at a speed of 320 km/h, the captain requested the flaps to be raised. The aircraft then lost altitude and initiated a descent with a positive acceleration of 1.5 G and a rate of 5-7 meters per second. In a nose-down attitude and at a speed of 405 km/h, the aircraft struck pine trees and crashed in a wooded area located 5 km from the airport, bursting into flames. The accident occurred one minute and 40 seconds after takeoff. The burned wreckage was found 1,180 meters to the left of the approach path. The aircraft was destroyed, and all 16 occupants were killed.