What happened
During a nighttime arrival at Mineralnye Vody Airport, the flight crew encountered adverse weather conditions while on final approach. As the aircraft traveled at 290 km/h, the deployment of flaps to a 30-degree setting resulted in a reduction of airspeed to 260 km/h. Approximately 1,500 meters from the runway threshold, the captain executed a go-around procedure because the runway could not be visually identified.
During the subsequent initial climb at an altitude of roughly 90 meters, the aircraft entered a right-hand turn and experienced a right roll of between 15 and 30 degrees. The plane reached a critical angle of attack of 15 to 18 degrees, leading to a tail stall. The aircraft subsequently crashed into flames approximately 2 km south of the airport. The accident resulted in 77 fatalities (one crew member and 76 passengers) and 21 injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the crew did not properly configure the aircraft following the missed approach. The loss of control during the climb phase was specifically caused by the premature retraction or adjustment of flaps, which induced a critical angle of attack and subsequent aerodynamic stall.