What happened
On a morning in early 1960, an aircraft was performing a flight under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at an altitude of approximately 3,600 meters. During the cruise phase, the radio operator communicated with Air Traffic Control, noting that they had sighted Derbent. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft entered a cloud layer and subsequently impacted the southeast slope of Mt Kushtang, situated roughly 27 km northeast of Boysun.
The flight was carrying 30 occupants, including Soviet military personnel, their families, and several international passengers from Germany and China. Following the impact, search and rescue operations were initiated but were halted after several days when no debris or survivors could be located. The Soviet authorities did not officially confirm the accident until January 19, 1960. It was not until June 2, 1960, that alpinists discovered the wreckage of the aircraft at an elevation of 3,501 meters in a rugged, rocky area.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the crash resulted from multiple navigational mistakes made by the crew. In an attempt to reduce flight time, the pilots chose to deviate from the established flight path. The captain elected to maintain VFR procedures despite being in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). At the moment of impact, the aircraft was positioned approximately 40 to 50 km to the right of its intended trajectory. Because the mountain was obscured by clouds, the crew could not identify the terrain. Additionally, the crew's failure to account for wind drift contributed to the deviation from the route.