Flight and Weather
The crew was completing a flight from Magadan to Bilibino with intermediate stops at Berelekh, Zyryanka and Chersky. Due to poor weather at Bilibino, the aircraft, the crew and the passengers were grounded at Chersky for four days. Eventually, weather seemed to improve so the crew decided to depart Chersky in the morning of September 18.
Accident
Minutes after takeoff, the airplane entered a cloud area. While cruising at an altitude of 800 meters, it struck the snowy slope of Mt Belaya Strelka (975 meters high), located 46 km southeast of Chersky. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire, and all 32 occupants were killed.
Probable Cause
According to official findings, the probable cause was: "The crew decided to modify his route without prior permission and continued the flight at an insufficient altitude in low visibility without any visual contact with the ground."