What happened
During a night flight originating from Khabarovsk, the crew was granted clearance to begin their descent toward Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport. This clearance included a specific instruction to remain at or above an altitude of 600 meters.
While navigating through the darkness, the aircraft maintained a level attitude with a slight right bank before impacting trees in a heavily wooded region on Mt Ufa. The impact occurred approximately 26 km northwest of the destination airport, leading to a stall and subsequent crash. The accident resulted in 96 fatalities, including all nine crew members, and left six passengers—comprising three adults and three children—with serious injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the crew initiated their descent before it was permitted, which led to the aircraft flying below the required minimum safe altitude. Several contributing elements were noted during the inquiry:
- Inadequate preparation for the flight
- Limited visibility during the approach
- Absence of radar coverage at the destination airport