What happened
During a cargo mission originating from Mys Chelyuskin, an aircraft was performing its final approach toward the drifting station SP-7. The flight took place during the polar night under challenging meteorological conditions characterized by low cloud cover and restricted visibility. As the aircraft descended, the left wing struck ice hummocks approximately 3 km from the runway threshold, resulting in a crash.
Following the impact, all six crew members sustained injuries. A rescue operation involving a Mil Mi-4 helicopter was launched, successfully locating and retrieving the survivors roughly 21 hours after the accident. Although the crew survived the initial impact, one crew member later succumbed to their injuries five days after the event.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the approach to the SP-7 station was being conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite the presence of marginal weather. The primary contributing factor was the decision by the captain to proceed with the flight despite the hazardous visibility and difficult environmental conditions, which could have been postponed.