What happened
A cargo flight operating from Yekaterinburg to Africa, with scheduled stops in Belgrade and Malta, crashed during its departure from Belgrade-Surčin Airport. The aircraft was transporting a load of squibs and aircraft tires, accompanied by 10 crew members and two passengers.
Shortly after taking off from Belgrade at night, the flight crew notified air traffic control regarding technical difficulties and a complete failure of all electrical systems. The aircraft entered a holding pattern that lasted approximately 2.5 hours while the situation was managed. During the subsequent attempt to land, the crew faced extremely low visibility caused by adverse weather. While on short final approach, the aircraft type struck the ground roughly 800 meters before reaching the runway and subsequently caught fire. The accident resulted in 12 fatalities, with no survivors among the occupants.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the electrical failure originated during pre-flight preparations at Belgrade-Surčin Airport. After the engines were started, the crew failed to activate the VU-6A AC/DC converter. As a result, the 27 volts electrical system relied solely on battery power. This led to the depletion of the aircraft batteries, which eventually caused all avionics and boosters to lose power during the flight.