What happened
During a scheduled training mission traveling from Malaya Viska toward Kirovograd, an aircraft carrying five crew members, six passengers, an instructor, three auditors, and two company employees encountered severe weather. As the flight approached Kirovograd Airport under nighttime conditions, the crew faced fog that significantly reduced visibility beyond what had been forecasted.
While on final approach at an altitude of approximately 40 meters, the instructor in command was unable to identify the runway. The pilot chose to proceed with the approach rather than executing a missed approach. During this maneuver, the aircraft entered a right bank of 20 degrees and lost altitude. The plane impacted the ground roughly 400 meters to the right of the intended approach path, subsequently catching fire. The impact resulted in four fatalities and seven injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the accident was driven by a faulty decision by the instructor to continue the landing attempt despite weather conditions falling below established minimums. Because the runway could not be visually acquired at the decision height, the crew should have performed a go-around and either diverted to an alternate airfield or returned to their point of origin.