What happened
On the afternoon of the accident, an aircraft departed Amurzet at 14:14 local time, destined for Khabarovsk with a scheduled stop in Birobidzhan. The flight was carrying a total of 13 people, consisting of two crew members and 11 passengers. At the time of departure, visibility was approximately 5 km due to rain showers.
Approximately thirty minutes after takeoff, while maintaining an altitude of 400 meters, the aircraft encountered worsening weather characterized by a mix of rain and snow. During this period, the aircraft struck trees in a forested region situated 15 km north of Bidzhan. The impact caused the aircraft to burst into flames.
The accident resulted in eight fatalities and left five individuals with critical injuries, including the copilot and four passengers.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified several critical errors made by the flight crew. The crew elected to proceed with takeoff despite having an unserviceable VHF radio communication system and visibility that was below established minimums.
Furthermore, as weather conditions worsened during the flight, the crew did not notify Air Traffic Control (ATC) of the change. Instead of returning to the airport, the crew continued the flight into the deteriorating weather and unilaterally altered the flight path without obtaining necessary clearance from ATC.