What happened
During a positioning flight intended to move an aircraft from Moscow to Berlin for scheduled maintenance, an accident occurred during the takeoff phase. After receiving clearance to start the engines, the crew had the aircraft moved to a deicing pad, where they performed a two-step deicing process. This procedure concluded at 16:18 local time, and the crew received takeoff clearance at 16:36 local time.
As the aircraft accelerated down runway 06 amidst falling snow, the pilot-in-command initiated the rotation. During this maneuver, the aircraft began oscillating left and right. The right wing made contact with the ground, causing the aircraft to lose control. The plane subsequently inverted and came to rest in a snow-covered area situated approximately 450 metres beyond the runway and 35 metres to the right of the centerline. The aircraft was destroyed in the impact. All three crew members survived the event, sustaining only minor injuries.
At the time of the incident, weather conditions were characterized by 1,000-metre horizontal visibility in snowfall and a vertical visibility of only 300 feet. Winds were recorded at 10 knots from 130 degrees, with an outside air temperature of -6°C.
Findings
- The aircraft experienced an uncontrolled roll during the rotation phase of takeoff.
- The right wing struck the ground during the takeoff roll, leading to the inversion and subsequent crash.