Accident
An aircraft departed from Talas Airport. According to official findings, the pilot-in-command initiated a turn to the right heading 270° instead of the left turn specified in the published departure procedures. Six minutes after takeoff, air traffic control transmitted several instructions, but none addressed the track deviation. The aircraft continued climbing in clouds to an altitude of 3,150 meters. At that altitude, it struck the slope of a rocky mountain and crashed approximately 39 kilometers from the airport. The wreckage was located several hours later. All 40 occupants on board were killed.
Investigation
Investigators determined that at the time of the accident, the aircraft was 8.7 kilometers off the intended track. The crew had been operating under visual flight rules (VFR) while in clouds, conditions which prevented them from visually identifying the mountain.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause states that the crew violated the published departure procedures by making a right turn instead of a left turn after takeoff, and continued to climb in clouds while operating under VFR mode. In these conditions, the crew was unable to distinguish the mountain. Additionally, it was reported that crews based in the Frunze region systematically violated published procedures for this airport.