Incident Overview
On a flight operated on behalf of the Kazakh Border Guard Corp, an aircraft was approaching Shymkent under low visibility conditions caused by night and heavy snowfall. While descending, the aircraft struck a mountain slope located 21 kilometers from the airport. The impact destroyed the aircraft, and all 27 occupants were killed. Among the victims was Tourganbek Stambekov, the Chief of the Kazakhstan Border Guards.
Sequence of Events
Shortly after takeoff from Astana, the automatic pilot system failed. The captain decided to continue the flight. Two minutes and 40 seconds later, the radio altimeter failed as well. The crew continued the flight, relying on the barometric altimeter. Nineteen minutes after that failure, the barometric altimeter suffered a momentary malfunction, and several discrepancies were observed among altitude parameters.
During the descent to Shymkent in poor weather, the captain failed to set the correct pressure in the barometric altimeters. Consequently, the pressure setting used as reference was incorrect. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was 385 meters too low.
Investigation Findings
The investigation board determined that the accident was a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). The board concluded that the combination of equipment failures and the incorrect barometric altimeter setting led to the aircraft flying at an insufficient altitude, resulting in the collision with the mountain.
Probable Cause
Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).