What happened
During the initial stages of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a four-engine transport aircraft was performing a night flight from Tashkent-Yuzhny to Bagram Air Force Base in Kabul. The aircraft was transporting a total of 47 people, consisting of nine crew members and 38 paratroopers.
As the plane was descending through an altitude of 5,000 feet, it collided with a mountain slope situated approximately 36 km from Kabul. Search teams located the wreckage several hours after the impact. There were 47 fatalities in the accident, as no occupants survived the crash.
Findings
Investigations into the disaster concluded that the accident was caused by controlled flight into terrain. The lack of sufficient navigation equipment on board and a deficiency in ground-based assistance were identified as significant contributing factors to the collision.