What happened
On December 30, the crew departed Minsk Airport with the objective of positioning the aircraft to Moscow for further maintenance. This move followed a previous incident on December 4, where the right main landing gear partially collapsed during a landing, necessitating temporary repairs at Minsk.
Shortly after takeoff, while climbing to an altitude of approximately 50 meters, the aircraft entered cloud cover. The plane then banked to the right and descended rapidly into the ground. It crashed in a field located 2 km northwest of the airport. As a result of the impact, three crew members were killed and one was injured.
Findings
Investigations into the accident revealed that the exact cause could not be determined with certainty. Authorities noted that any direct link between this crash and the earlier landing mishap involving the right main gear could not be proven. However, the possibility that the pilot in command experienced spatial disorientation was considered a potential factor, as it could not be ruled out.