What happened
On the morning of the accident, flight SU051F departed from Tbilisi Airport at 06:55 local time, heading toward Kutaisi. During the flight, the crew was authorized to climb to an altitude of 2,700 meters. As the aircraft approached the Surami area, it encountered severe weather characterized by snowfall and visibility that dropped to between 50 and 500 meters.
During this period of low visibility, a series of errors occurred regarding air traffic control communications. The crew received successive clearances to descend from 2,700 meters to 2,100 meters, then to 1,500 meters, and finally down to 1,200 meters. While flying in zero-visibility conditions, the twin engine aircraft collided with a snow-covered mountain slope near Surami. The wreckage was located the following day at an elevation of 980 meters. The impact resulted in seven fatalities (comprising three crew members and four passengers) and left eight people seriously injured. Although the aircraft type/model was destroyed upon impact, no fire was reported at the crash site.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several critical contributing factors. The air traffic control center in Tbilisi transferred responsibility for the flight to the Kutaisi center without confirming the precise location of the aircraft. Additionally, the aircraft was operating 37 km behind its intended schedule due to significant headwinds measuring 120 km/h, which were much stronger than the expected 70 km/h.
Crucially, the crew received inaccurate data regarding wind speed and components. The investigation concluded that ATC at Kutaisi misidentified the aircraft and issued descent instructions to the incorrect crew, leading to a premature descent into the terrain.