What happened
During a ferry flight from Mielec, Poland, to Novosibirsk, Russia, an single-engine airplane was traveling through Omsk toward its final destination. The aircraft was being operated by a crew of three and one passenger as part of a delivery mission that included stops in Lviv and Samara. While the flight initially proceeded under favorable weather conditions, visibility decreased significantly near Tatarsk as cloud ceilings dropped to approximately 150 meters.
In an effort to remain visually connected to the terrain, the pilot lowered the aircraft's altitude. At a height of 199 meters, the plane collided with a relay antenna structure that stood 202 meters tall, located roughly 5 km northeast of Tatarsk. The impact caused the aircraft to lose control and descend into a snow-covered field approximately 280 meters away, where it caught fire upon impact. There were four fatalities in the accident.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the crew attempted to continue flight under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite encountering clouds and visibility levels that were below established minimums. The investigation also highlighted a failure to provide the crew with accurate weather updates. Contributing factors included improper flight preparation and poor decision-making by the crew during the flight.