What happened
On the evening of the accident, a Let L-410M was taxiing toward the runway for a scheduled flight to Kutaisi. The aircraft was carrying two crew members and nine passengers at the time. Simultaneously, an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134, registered CCCP-65836, was preparing for departure from runway 02 on a flight bound for Moscow-Vnukovo, carrying 76 passengers and six crew members.
As the Tupolev Tu-134 began its takeoff roll, the crew observed the Let L-410M entering the active runway. Approximately 26 seconds into the takeoff run, while traveling at 195 km/h, the captain of the Tupolev attempted to abort the maneuver by applying emergency braking, deploying spoilers, and activating thrust reversers. The pilot also attempted a left turn toward an exit taxiway.
In response to seeing the approaching aircraft, the crew of the Let increased engine power in an attempt to clear the runway. However, seven seconds after the rejected takeoff began, the Tupolev, still traveling at 216 km/h, struck the wing of the Let. The impact destroyed the Let L-410M, resulting in 11 fatalities. The Tupolev continued to roll for roughly 514 meters before veering off the runway centerline by 48 meters. All 82 occupants on the Tupolev escaped without injury.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the collision was primarily caused by the Let crew's failure to adhere to instructions from air traffic control and ground controllers regarding taxiing protocols, which resulted in their unauthorized runway entry. Additional contributing factors included inadequate flight organization at Sukhumi Airport and the use of non-standard phraseology by controllers, which led to confusion.