What happened
Following its departure from Kutaisi, the crew elected to proceed using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite experiencing restricted visibility caused by intense rainfall. During the flight, the aircraft drifted approximately 13 km away from its intended departure path and maintained an inadequate altitude for the terrain.
Roughly eight minutes into the flight, while flying at an altitude of 900 meters, the aircraft type struck a mountain slope located 7 km north of Gereshkori, which is situated about 32 km northwest of Kutaisi. Search teams located the wreckage one day after the impact. The accident resulted in 32 fatalities, a figure that includes three individuals who had entered the plane as stowaways.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the crew attempted to operate under VFR while actually flying in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Several contributing elements were identified, including poor weather and visibility at the time of the crash. Furthermore, the investigation noted that the crew lacked sufficient assistance from Air Traffic Control and had been provided with inaccurate meteorological data.