What happened
During a nighttime arrival at Almaty Airport, an aircraft was performing an approach under weather conditions that were below established minimums. During this maneuver, the pilot allowed the plane to descend beneath the glide slope. The aircraft subsequently collided with trees and entered a 15-degree right bank before impacting a snow-covered field. The impact occurred approximately 75 meters before reaching the runway threshold, with the wreckage situated 600 meters to the right of the extended centerline. The collision resulted in a post-impact fire that destroyed the plane.
The accident resulted in 67 fatalities (comprising three crew members and 64 passengers) and 39 injuries among the other occupants on board.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the flight crew chose to proceed with the approach despite the visibility being below required minimums. A primary contributing factor was the pilot-in-command's failure to initiate a go-around during the descent. Additionally, inadequate assistance from Air Traffic Control was noted as a secondary factor in the sequence of events.