Incident
A cargo aircraft on a flight from Yakutsk to Sangar was destroyed when it struck trees and crashed on the southwest slope of Mount Vataala Hayata, approximately 8 kilometers southeast of Sangar Airport. The accident occurred during a night approach to the airport, with the aircraft carrying a load of 3,100 kilograms of apples. The pilot had reported locating the airport while descending through an altitude of 600 meters, but the aircraft overflew the airfield twice without landing, suggesting the crew could not determine their position with certainty. While flying at low altitude, the right wing struck trees and was sheared off, causing the aircraft to lose control and impact the terrain. Impact forces and a subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft. All five crew members on board were killed.
Cause
The official investigation attributed the accident to a general power failure that occurred in Sangar a few minutes before the aircraft's arrival. The combination of nighttime conditions and fog reduced visibility to less than 3 kilometers. The pilots interpreted the lights of the village of Smorodinny as those of Sangar, leading them to initiate the approach prematurely. This miscalculation caused the aircraft to descend into terrain. For reasons unknown, air traffic control had not informed the crew that Sangar was without power and experiencing adverse weather at the destination.