What happened
During a night-time local training mission at Donetsk Airport, a flight crew was performing several circuits. After completing five successful laps, the crew initiated a sixth approach under deteriorating weather conditions characterized by low visibility. As the aircraft reached the final stage of the descent, the pilot-in-command elected to proceed below the established decision height, despite being unable to identify the runway lighting.
During this continued descent, the aircraft type (not specified) struck trees and subsequently banked to the right at an angle of 20 degrees. The impact occurred in a field situated approximately 380 meters to the right of the approach path and 325 meters from the runway threshold. The crash resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and five injuries among the crew members. While most survived the initial impact, the captain later succumbed to his injuries six days after the accident.
Findings
Investigations into the accident concluded that the primary factor was the decision by the crew to proceed with the landing attempt after passing the decision height without visual contact with the runway or the ground. Under such visibility constraints, standard procedure dictates an immediate go-around maneuver. Additionally, the worsening meteorological conditions during the flight were identified as a contributing element to the event.