Accident Details
A training flight from Malaya Viska to Kirovograd crashed while approaching Kirovograd Airport at night. The aircraft carried five crew members and six passengers, including one instructor, three auditors, and two employees of the company.
During the night approach, the crew encountered poor weather with limited visibility due to fog, conditions worse than forecast. On final approach at an altitude of 40 meters, the instructor, who was in command, could not locate the runway but decided to continue the approach. As the aircraft descended, the instructor failed to notice that the airplane had banked right to an angle of 20°, and it lost altitude. The aircraft struck the ground and came to rest in flames 400 meters to the right of the approach path.
Four crew members were killed, and seven other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause was the wrong decision on the part of the instructor, who decided to continue the approach in below-minima weather conditions. Considering that the crew was unable to locate the runway at decision height, the instructor should have executed a go-around and diverted to another airport or returned to the departure point.