What happened
On the afternoon of the accident, an aircraft departed Dzhusaly Airport at 15:52 local time, intending to fly to Turkestan before completing a final training leg back to Tashkent. During the climb, approximately six minutes after takeoff, the crew requested permission to ascend to an altitude of 2,400 meters. Shortly thereafter, the flight began to drift away from its designated route.
As the aircraft passed over Kyzylorda, it was found to be roughly 72 km north of its planned trajectory. While flying at an altitude of 2,050 meters, the plane struck the slope of Mt Mynzhilgi in the Karatau region. Search teams located the wreckage approximately 126 meters below the mountain summit one day after the impact. The accident resulted in eight fatalities, involving all crew members on board.
Findings
At the time of the flight, meteorological conditions were marginal, characterized by cloud cover, icing, and visibility ranging from 4 to 10 km. A strong wind was blowing from the west during the operation. The investigation indicated that the crew failed to recognize they had drifted off course due to the limited visibility.