What happened
During a flight originating from Kokshetau, the crew prepared for arrival at Almaty Airport, receiving clearance for a Category IIIb ILS approach to runway 23R. At the time of the approach, meteorological conditions were extremely poor, with horizontal visibility measured at 200 metres and vertical visibility at only 40 metres.
As the aircraft reached the short final phase of the approach at an altitude of 180 metres, the pilot elected to abort the landing and initiated a go-around procedure. During this maneuver, the automatic pilot system was disengaged and the TO/GA mode was engaged. Shortly after, the pilot applied forward pressure to the control column, which induced a descent. Despite the activation of the EGPWS alarm, the crew did not take corrective action. The aircraft type entered a steep descent with a pitch angle of -16° and a vertical speed of approximately 20 to 30 metres per second, eventually striking the ground. The impact occurred in a snow-covered field roughly 1,400 metres before the runway threshold, causing the aircraft to disintegrate. There were 21 fatalities and no survivors.
Findings
Investigations into the accident highlighted that the pilot experienced a significant emotional reaction due to the challenging weather conditions at the destination. The primary factor in the accident was the pilot's manual input of forward pressure on the control column during the go-around, which led to the uncontrolled descent and subsequent impact.