What happened
At 09:25 local time, a single-engine airplane departed from the grass runway at Pskhu Airport, beginning a scheduled flight toward Sukhumi. The crew had received clearance to reach an altitude of 2,100 meters. Approximately 15 minutes into the flight, while the aircraft was cruising at 1,450 meters under favorable weather conditions, the plane became uncontrollable. The aircraft subsequently struck treetops and crashed into a forested area on the slopes of Mt Dzishra, located roughly 6 km south of the departure airfield.
The impact and subsequent fire resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. There were nine fatalities among the occupants, with no survivors reported.
Findings
Investigators were unable to establish a definitive cause for the crash because the wreckage was entirely consumed by fire. However, several contributing factors were identified during the investigation:
- High levels of carbon monoxide were detected in the blood of both pilots, suggesting that smoke may have infiltrated the cabin. This could have been caused by an electrical short-circuit or a fire originating in hand luggage containing film.
- An in-flight collision with birds was considered a possibility, as such an impact against the windshield could have injured the crew and led to the loss of control.