Incident Overview
A crew conducting a local night training mission at Donetsk Airport crashed during their sixth approach. The incident occurred after five uneventful circuits, when the crew began a sixth approach in limited visibility due to poor weather conditions.
Sequence of Events
On final approach, the pilot-in-command decided to continue the descent after passing the decision height, despite being unable to distinguish the runway lights. The aircraft subsequently struck trees, banked right to an angle of 20°, and crashed in a field located 380 meters to the right of the approach path and 325 meters from the runway threshold.
Damage and Injuries
The aircraft was destroyed. All five crew members sustained injuries. Six days after the accident, the captain died from his injuries.
Official Findings
The probable cause determined by the investigation states that the crew decided to continue the approach after passing the decision height without any visual contact with the runway lights or the ground. Weather conditions were reported to have worsened during the flight, which was considered a contributing factor.