What happened
During a nighttime cargo operation from Yakutsk to Sangar, an aircraft carrying 3,100 kilograms of apples crashed while attempting to land. While descending to an altitude of approximately 600 meters, the pilot reported to ground control that the airport had been located. However, the flight crew performed two unsuccessful passes over the airfield, appearing unable to confirm the exact position of the runway.
While maintaining a low altitude, the right wing of the aircraft made contact with trees and was severed from the fuselage. This loss of structural integrity caused the plane to become uncontrollable, leading to a crash on the southwest slope of Mt Vataala Hayata. The accident occurred roughly 8 km southeast of Sangar, near the village of Smorodinny. The impact and subsequent fire resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and five fatalities among the crew.
Findings
A significant power outage had occurred at Sangar shortly before the arrival of the flight. Combined with foggy conditions that reduced visibility to under 3 km, the crew mistakenly identified the lights from the village of Smorodinny as the lights for the airport. This led to a premature approach into terrain. Furthermore, air traffic control had not notified the crew that the destination airport was experiencing darkness and degraded weather conditions.