What happened
A flight originally scheduled to travel from Moscow-Vnukovo Airport to Tbilisi, with an intermediate stop in Rostov-on-Don, was diverted due to deteriorating weather. After receiving permission from air traffic control, the crew redirected the flight to Krasnodar Airport. Following a several-hour delay at Krasnodar, the aircraft departed at 15:07 local time, bound for Tbilisi.
While operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at an altitude of 2,400 meters, the aircraft encountered extreme meteorological conditions, including heavy rain, hail, lightning, and intense turbulence. During this period, a lightning strike accompanied by severe turbulence caused the aircraft to lose stability and enter a rapid dive. As the crew attempted to recover the aircraft at an altitude of approximately 300 meters, the resulting high g-forces caused structural failure, specifically leading to the wings being torn from the airframe. The aircraft type (unspecified model) subsequently crashed into hilly, wooded terrain near the village of Grigorishi, roughly 15 km northeast of Zugdidi. The impact resulted in a fire that destroyed the wreckage, and all 18 fatalities were recorded.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary factor leading to the accident was the encounter with severe thunderstorm activity, which induced a loss of control and subsequent structural disintegration of the wings.