What happened
During a flight from Molodelevnaya Ice Station toward Mirny Ice Station, the crew encountered significant meteorological challenges. While navigating the 2,020 km route, the aircraft faced intense icing conditions and powerful headwinds reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h. In response to these conditions, the pilot lowered the flight altitude to 1,500 meters. However, the heavy headwind caused a notable decrease in airspeed and a corresponding rise in fuel consumption.
As the aircraft ran low on fuel, an attempt was made to perform an emergency landing on the Philippi Glacier, situated approximately 240 km west of the Mirny Ice Station. During this maneuver, the crew encountered whiteout conditions, which led to the aircraft striking the glacier surface. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the airframe. All six fatalities were recorded following the accident. The wreckage was located by search teams several days after the event.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the primary driver of the incident was fuel exhaustion. This depletion was a direct result of the increased fuel burn rate caused by sustained strong headwinds and the subsequent loss of airspeed during the flight.