What happened
On the morning of the accident, a single-engine aircraft departed from Kalinin (Tver) at 07:47 local time, bound for Kashin. Shortly after takeoff, while maintaining an altitude of approximately 450 meters, the crew received updates regarding the weather at their destination, which included mist, low cloud cover, and visibility restricted to 1,500 meters.
In response to these conditions, air traffic control advised the pilot to divert the flight to an alternate airport in Kalyazin, situated roughly 20 km southeast of Kashin. A subsequent weather report received at 08:15 local time indicated that the visibility and cloud cover had not improved. Despite this information, the captain elected to proceed with the original flight plan toward Kashin.
While flying at a low altitude of approximately 85 meters in poor visibility, the aircraft collided with a television antenna measuring 101 meters in height. The impact caused the plane to plunge into the ground and burst into flames. The crash resulted in the death of all 15 occupants and the total destruction of the plane.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the primary factor in the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the flight to Kashin despite being advised by ATC to divert due to weather conditions that were below established minima.