What happened
A scheduled flight traveling from Magadan to Bilibino, which included planned stops at Berelekh, Zyryanka, and Chersky, was delayed by adverse weather conditions. The aircraft, its crew, and the passengers remained grounded at Chersky for four days due to poor visibility.
On the morning of September 18, the crew attempted to resume the flight as weather conditions appeared to be improving. Shortly after departing from Chersky, the aircraft entered a cloud layer while maintaining an altitude of approximately 800 meters. During this phase of flight, the plane collided with the snowy terrain of Mt Belaya Strelka, a peak reaching 975 meters in height, located roughly 46 km southeast of Chersky. The force of the impact and a subsequent fire caused the total destruction of the aircraft. There were 32 fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the crew proceeded with an unauthorized change to the flight path. Crucially, the flight was conducted at an altitude that was too low for the prevailing visibility conditions, leaving the crew without visual reference to the ground.