What happened
During a flight conducted under visual flight rules at an altitude of 3,000 meters, the crew encountered deteriorating weather conditions characterized by thunderstorm activity near Syktyvkar. In an attempt to navigate around the developing storm, the crew altered the flight path. During this maneuver, the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of control and entered a steep dive.
The structural integrity of the plane failed during the descent, resulting in the separation of both wings. The aircraft subsequently crashed into a heavily wooded area situated approximately 87 km southwest of Syktyvkar Airport, where it caught fire. Search teams located the wreckage on July 31, eleven days after the incident. The impact resulted in 23 fatalities, with no survivors among the occupants. Investigators noted that pieces of the aircraft, specifically the right engine and the right wing, were discovered 80 meters away from the primary fuselage debris.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary reason for the loss of control was the encounter with intense atmospheric turbulence and vertical downdrafts within a low-pressure system. The extreme G-forces generated during the dive led to the structural failure and detachment of the wings, rendering the aircraft unrecoverable. Additionally, investigators identified a lack of timely meteorological updates as a contributing factor, noting that the crew had not been notified of the worsening weather or the thunderstorm positioned along their intended route.