Accident
The crew was performing a training mission off the Crimea coast on behalf of the Black Sea Fleet. En route, an engine failed, forcing the crew to return to Kacha Naval Air Station. On short final, the airplane descended fast and landed hard. It then became airborne again and climbed to several meters before stalling and crashing near the runway, bursting into flames. The captain, the copilot, and the navigator were killed, and the radio operator was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-impact fire.
Aircraft
The aircraft was an antisubmarine seaplane registered RF-12008. No further details about the aircraft type or configuration were provided in the investigation.
Probable Cause
The official findings stated that the probable cause was an engine failure for unknown reasons.