What happened
During an approach to Samarkand Airport, the flight transitioned from a cruising altitude of 5,100 meters through successive descent clearances to 2,700 and 2,400 meters. As the aircraft approached the destination, the crew encountered low cloud cover and reduced visibility. While flying at a speed of 380 km/h and maintaining a 16-degree nose-down attitude at an altitude of 1,500 meters, the plane collided with a mountain slope situated approximately 32 km northeast of the airport. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. Out of all those on board, there were 92 fatalities, while the co-pilot and 13 passengers were successfully rescued.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing elements. A primary factor was inaccurate air traffic control instructions, as the approach controller provided a premature descent clearance based on an incorrect estimation of the aircraft's distance from the airport; the controller believed the plane was 31 km away when it was actually between 42 and 44 km from the field. Additionally, the flight crew did not verify their exact position following the descent instructions while operating within low-visibility cloud conditions.