Aircraft Crash Near Chernovo After Right-Engine Fire (CCCP-52091)

Flight Details and Emergency Declaration The aircraft departed Syktyvkar Airport at 2228 local time on a flight to Moscow via Gorki. The crew received permission to climb to 3,000 meters. Eighteen minutes later, the crew reported icing conditions and was granted permission to climb to 3,600 meters. Three minutes after that, at 2249 local time, the crew reported that the right engine had caught fire and requested permission to divert to the nearest airport. ## Descent and Impact The crew apparently was unable to extinguish the fire, and the captain completed a rapid descent. After passing the last cloud layer at an altitude of 100 to 150 meters, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in flames in a field located 500 meters from the village of Chernovo, about 134 kilometers northeast of Gorki Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact, and all 14 occupants were killed. ## Probable Cause The official findings identified the probable cause as failure of the cylinders and pistons on the right engine in flight, which caused a fuel and hydraulic leak. Both fluids caught fire when they contacted high-temperature equipment of the engine. The right engine had totaled 1,164 hours and 390 hours since its last overhaul.