What happened
During a flight traveling from Aktyubinsk toward Uralsk, an aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 1,500 meters when it encountered a lightning strike. The incident occurred amidst difficult weather conditions. Following the strike, the crew lost command of the aircraft, which entered a rapid descent and impacted the ground in a field situated approximately 4 km southeast of Konstantinovski, within the Aktyubinsk region. Search efforts located the wreckage several hours after the impact. There were 27 fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
Investigations determined that a lightning discharge passed through the port control cables of the left aileron, specifically behind the rear spar of the center wing between the 4th and 5th sections. This electrical event caused the control cables to overheat and rupture. The strike also left the crew in a state of shock or paralysis, preventing them from maintaining control or transmitting a distress signal.
Several contributing factors were identified:
- Active thunderstorm activity during the flight phase.
- The high temperatures from the discharge led to the failure of the left aileron cables.
- An inability to perform an emergency landing due to the speed of the descent and nighttime visibility.
- A breakdown in meteorological communication, as the observer at the Novoalekseevka station noted thunderstorm activity but failed to notify the Aktyubinsk station according to established protocols. Consequently, the official weather forecast for Aktyubinsk did not include the storm warnings.