Accident
An aircraft was conducting a passenger flight from Khabarovsk. During the approach to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport, air traffic control authorized the crew to descend but instructed them to maintain a minimum altitude of 600 meters. The accident occurred at night. The airplane was in a flat attitude with a slight right bank when it struck trees. Following the impact, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a dense wooded area on Mount Ufa, located about 26 kilometers northwest of the airport. Six passengers—three adults and three children—sustained serious injuries. The remaining 87 occupants, including all nine crew members, were killed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the probable cause was the crew's failure to comply with published procedures. They initiated the descent prematurely, causing the aircraft to descend below the minimum safe altitude. Contributing factors included poor flight preparation, lack of visibility, and lack of radar availability at the destination airport.