What happened
A flight traveling from Myachkovo to the Krenkel Airstrip on Heiss Island, with scheduled stops in Vorkuta and Dikson, was involved in an accident during its final approach. The aircraft was transporting a scientific team consisting of seven passengers and six crew members, along with various equipment destined for a research station.
During the approach at dusk, the flight crew experienced two instances where they lost sight of the runway lights. Rather than performing a go-around, the pilot-in-command proceeded with the landing attempt. The aircraft made contact with the ground in a layer of snow approximately one meter deep, roughly 32 meters to the left of the designated runway.
The impact caused the nose gear to collapse and sustained damage to the lower section of the nose. During the accident, long-range fuel tanks located within the cabin broke loose, striking and causing the deaths of two passengers. The remaining 11 occupants sustained injuries. The aircraft was determined to be a total loss.
Findings
Investigations into the crash revealed that the approach configuration was incorrect and noted that the pilot-in-command did not respond to communications from the copilot. Furthermore, the aircraft was operating significantly over its weight limits; at the time of the accident, the plane was 700 kilograms above its maximum gross weight, and it had departed takeoff with a total mass 1,650 kilograms exceeding the maximum takeoff weight.