What happened
During a cruise at 6,600 meters, the flight crew was granted clearance to descend to 4,500 meters. Shortly after this instruction, the autopilot system disengaged. Following this deactivation, the aircraft performed a sudden 90-degree left bank and entered a steep dive.
As the plane descended to 2,200 meters, the intense g-forces caused the left wing to detach from the fuselage, leading to an in-flight fire. The uncontrolled aircraft struck an open field at a velocity of 840 km/h. The impact occurred approximately 8.4 km southeast of Buston Station, roughly 38 km northwest of Leninabad Airport. The structural disintegration of the plane upon impact resulted in 79 fatalities.
Findings
Investigators were unable to establish a definitive cause for the accident. However, they did not dismiss the possibility that a failure of the attitude indicator triggered the loss of control immediately following the autopilot's disengagement.