Accident
On approach to Moscow-Vnukovo Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions with clouds and limited visibility. During nighttime operations, the aircraft descended below the glide path. It struck tree tops and crashed in flames in a wooded area located 1,400 meters short of runway 02 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. Only one passenger survived. Among those killed was the Russian composer Sergei Artyomevich Agababov, aged 32.
Probable Cause
The accident was the consequence of poor approach techniques on part of the flying crew who allowed the aircraft to descend below the glide in poor visibility until the airplane struck obstacles. Following factors were considered as contributory: - The crew was tired and failed to observe a sufficient rest time, - At the time of the accident, the crew was on duty since 13h50 with 5h53 cumulated flying hours, - The pilots' performances were diminished by fatigue and work overload, - The copilot's experience was insufficient, - Poor visibility due to the night and a cloud layer down to 60 meters from the ground.