What happened
Following a completed charter service from Sochi, an aircraft was conducting a repositioning flight from Moscow toward St Petersburg. Shortly after departing from runway 07L, the aircraft began its initial climb and reached an altitude of approximately 200 metres.
During this ascent, the stabilizers unexpectedly moved to a full up trim position of 12°. This mechanical shift caused the aircraft to pitch upward into a super critical angle of attack. Although the crew attempted to recover the aircraft by applying forward pressure on the control column, the plane entered a stall. The aircraft subsequently crashed approximately 7-hundred metres beyond the runway threshold, resulting in a large explosion. There were 16 crew members on board, including 10 company employees. The accident resulted in 14 fatalities and two injuries.
Findings
- The aircraft's stabilizers transitioned to a full up trim position of 12° during the climb.
- The sudden pitch-up maneuver led to a critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.