What happened
During a nighttime mission performed for the MSP – Ministerstvo Sudostroitelnoi Promyshlennosti, the flight crew encountered significant technical difficulties. While the aircraft was in the cruise phase of flight, the pilot notified air traffic control that the artificial horizon instrument had ceased to function correctly.
Following this loss of instrumentation, the aircraft became uncontrollable and entered a steep dive. As the plane descended, it experienced structural failure and partially broke apart in mid-air. The wreckage eventually impacted a pasture, resulting in the total destruction of the aircraft. There were no survivors among the seven fatalities recorded in the incident.
Findings
Investigations into the accident focused on the sudden loss of flight instrumentation. It was determined that the failure of the artificial horizon prevented the crew from maintaining stable flight. The subsequent descent caused aerodynamic loads to surpass the structural limits and certification parameters of the airframe, leading to the mid-air disintegration.