Flight and Circumstances
The aircraft was completing a flight from Myachkovo to the Krenkel Airstrip on Heiss Island in the Franz-Joseph Land archipelago, Arkhangelsk oblast. The flight included intermediate stops at Vorkuta and Dikson. On board were six crew members and seven passengers described as scientists, along with various equipment for a scientific team based at Krenkel.
Approach and Accident
During the approach in dusk conditions, the crew twice lost visual contact with the runway lighting. Despite this, the pilot-in-command decided to continue the approach rather than initiate a go-around. The airplane touched down in deep snow approximately one meter deep, about 32 meters to the left of the runway. On impact, the nose gear collapsed, damaging the lower part of the nose. The long-range fuel tanks in the cabin broke away from their mountings and struck two passengers, killing them. The remaining 11 occupants sustained injuries. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the approach configuration was incorrect and that the pilot-in-command failed to react to calls from the copilot. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 700 kilograms above the maximum gross weight. At takeoff, the total weight exceeded the maximum takeoff weight by 1,650 kilograms.