What happened
A cargo transport mission traveling from Magadan to Pevek, with scheduled stops at Seymshan, Zyrianka, Nizhni Kresty, and Bilibino, ended in an accident during the departure phase. The flight was transporting two tons of apples along with one passenger and a crew of five members.
The departure occurred at night under heavy snowfall conditions. During the takeoff roll on a runway covered in snow and debris, the pilot-in-command initiated rotation while the aircraft was traveling at an insufficient speed. Following liftoff, the aircraft type experienced a high angle of attack, leading to an aerodynamic stall. The plane struck the runway surface multiple times before traveling several hundred yards further down the field. The aircraft then banked to the left and impacted a snowy area approximately 440 meters beyond the runway threshold, where it caught fire.
The accident resulted in five fatalities among the crew members, while the single passenger sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the crew elected to perform a takeoff from a runway that had not been adequately cleared of contaminants. This decision meant that necessary safety parameters were not maintained, leading to degraded performance capabilities. Furthermore, the crew failed to abort the departure despite an excessively long takeoff roll and the developing unsafe flight conditions.