Incident Overview
A flight from Timişoara to Bucharest experienced poor weather conditions, preventing landing at Băneasa Airport. Air traffic control rerouted the aircraft to Craiova Airport, but landing there was also impossible. The crew was then vectored to an airport in northern Romania.
Sequence of Events
En route, the aircraft encountered strong downdrafts and severe turbulence, leading to fuselage failure. The airplane disintegrated in the air and crashed approximately 2 kilometers south of Cugir. Debris was scattered over a large area, including a field and a wooded region, located about 55 kilometers west of Sibiu. All 32 occupants were killed.
Weather Conditions
At the time of the accident, a storm affected most of Romanian airspace, creating poor flying conditions.
Official Probable Cause
The probable cause, as determined by the investigation, was loss of control in flight caused by severe downdrafts and turbulence from thunderstorm activity, which led to structural failure of the fuselage while the crew was attempting to maintain the aircraft in a flat attitude. The airplane subsequently disintegrated in the air and crashed.