On April 18, 1988, an Antonov AN-2 (registration CCCP-35420) operated by Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Nogliki, Russia in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft encountered severe downdrafts while flying through low clouds, resulting in a collision with terrain. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft crashed into a hillside after encountering heavy downdrafts while flying through low cloud cover.
What happened
While performing an en route flight, the crew encountered significant weather disturbances characterized by low cloud layers and reduced visibility. During this period of degraded visual conditions, the aircraft was struck by powerful downdrafts. These atmospheric conditions led to the aircraft impacting a hillside.
At the time of the impact, the exact status of those on board remained undetermined, as the fate of all occupants is unknown. The sequence of events indicates that the transition from stable flight to the crash occurred while navigating through the obscured area.
Findings
The aircraft was operating in an environment with poor visibility due to low-altitude cloud cover.
The primary factor leading to the impact was the encounter with downdrafts during the flight.
Probable cause
The aircraft encountered severe downdrafts while flying through low clouds, resulting in a collision with terrain.
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