What happened
During a flight traveling from Krasnoyarsk toward Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the crew transmitted a brief, two-second message that could not be clearly understood. Following this transmission, the aircraft began an uncontrolled descent from its cruising altitude of 8,000 meters. As the plane descended, its rate of fall accelerated significantly; while passing through 3,000 meters, the vertical speed increased from approximately 9,850 feet per minute to as high as 24,600 feet per minute.
At an altitude of roughly 650 meters, the aircraft performed a right-hand turn, became inverted, and underwent partial disintegration. The wreckage impacted an unpopulated region situated 13 km northeast of Parchum at speeds reaching 890 km/h. The debris field covered a wide area. Out of the total occupants on board, 83 fatalities were recorded, though one passenger was discovered alive following the crash.
Findings
Official investigations could not establish a definitive reason for the accident. However, investigators did not dismiss the possibility that a failure in a fuel line led to the loss of control. Such a malfunction could have allowed fuel to leak into the engine, potentially igniting upon contact with high-temperature components.