What happened
During the final segment of the flight, while descending at approximately 10 meters above the ground, the crew reduced power on both engines. At this point, a fire broke out on the left wing. Despite the emergency, the pilot in command successfully guided the aircraft to a landing. Upon touchdown, an emergency braking procedure was initiated to bring the plane to a stop as quickly as possible.
Once the aircraft halted, all 16 occupants evacuated the cabin safely and sustained no injuries. The fire continued to burn for roughly 12 to 14 minutes, ultimately destroying the airframe completely.
Findings
The investigation identified that the root cause of the incident was a failure in ground handling procedures at Ashgabat Airport. Specifically, the individual responsible for refueling failed to properly close the left fuel tank cap. This error was facilitated by the fact that the fuel filter had not been correctly installed in the fuel line.
Consequently, fuel leaked during flight and accumulated along the wing root and over the wing surface during the approach phase. The spilled fuel came into contact with high-temperature components of the left engine, which ignited and caused the fire.