What happened
On the evening of the accident, an aircraft departed from Krasnovodsk Airport at 18:04 local time. Shortly after the departure, the flight crew received reports regarding a sandstorm at their destination, which had reduced visibility to approximately 1,000 meters. While the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 6,000 meters, weather conditions deteriorated further, prompting the crew to receive authorization for a route change.
As the aircraft approached Ashgabat, the crew began their descent when they were roughly 25 km from the airport. Upon reaching an altitude of 400 meters, the pilot reported seeing the runway lights. However, shortly after this report, the aircraft experienced instability and a loss of altitude. The plane entered a left bank of 7 degrees, striking both concrete posts and power cables. This impact caused the aircraft to lose further control, banking left at an angle of 30 degrees before stalling. The aircraft crashed into flames 1,012 meters before reaching the runway threshold.
The accident resulted in 12 fatalities (comprising eight crew members and four passengers) and 42 injuries. The impact and subsequent fire caused the total destruction of the airframe.
Findings
The investigation identified that the crew made an incorrect decision by attempting to continue the approach despite weather conditions being below established minimums. Additionally, Air Traffic Control (ATC) contributed to the accident by clearing the flight for landing in sub-minimum visibility and failing to direct the aircraft to an alternate airport. A further contributing factor was the inaccurate weather information provided to the crew regarding the conditions at their destination.