What happened
During a specialized mission transporting polar researchers from Mys Schmidta to Moscow, an aircraft crashed while operating the leg between Arkhangelsk and Cherepovets. While navigating the region near Fedorovskaya, approximately 315 km southwest of Arkhangelsk, the plane collided with the slope of Mt Belaya.
The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft and 18 fatalities, with no survivors reported among the occupants. At the time of the collision, the flight was operating in challenging meteorological conditions characterized by fog, rain, and a cloud base of only 300 meters. Visibility was limited to 4 km, and winds were recorded at 10 km/h.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the aircraft was flying at an insufficient altitude for the prevailing weather conditions. The captain made the decision to proceed with the flight despite being below established minimums. Additionally, it was noted that the crew had access to incomplete meteorological information, which served as a contributing factor to the controlled flight into terrain.