What happened
During a flight traveling from Stalingrad toward Mineralnye Vody, the crew encountered adverse weather characterized by active snowfall at a cruising altitude of 2,700 meters. As the aircraft transitioned into its approach phase for Mineralnye Vody, the flight crew received authorization to land; however, visibility had degraded significantly to approximately 30 meters due to the ongoing snow.
While maneuvering for landing, the aircraft struck the roof of a farm building. Following this initial impact, the plane continued forward and came to rest in a snow-covered field located roughly 17 km north of the destination airport. The accident resulted in one fatality, involving the captain, and seven injuries among the other occupants on board.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the crew attempted to conduct the approach under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite being subjected to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) weather conditions. The primary contributing factor was the decision to operate under VFR in IFR conditions during periods of extremely low visibility.