What happened
During a medical evacuation mission traveling from Amderma to Ust-Kara, an aircraft was attempting to land to collect a patient for transport back to Amderma. The flight was operating under challenging meteorological conditions characterized by rain, snow, and low cloud cover, which reduced visibility to approximately 4 km.
As the flight progressed, the crew performed successive descents to altitudes of 600 meters and then 300 meters. Despite being unable to clearly identify the runway due to the weather, the pilot elected to proceed with the descent. During the short final phase of the approach, the aircraft type struck the snow-covered terrain approximately 250 meters before reaching the runway threshold. The impact caused the plane to slide through a layer of snow roughly 60 cm deep before coming to a halt.
There were zero fatalities and zero injuries reported among the occupants, as everyone on board was able to evacuate the wreckage safely. However, the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
Investigations into the incident concluded that the primary factor was an incorrect approach configuration by the captain, who chose to maintain the descent without having established clear visual contact with the runway.