What happened
During a flight traveling from Chernivtsi toward Odessa, an aircraft drifted 15 km south of its intended route while operating in heavy rain and low visibility. The flight path took the plane into the vicinity of Glinoye, located within the Grigoriopol district of Moldova, where two radio masts were situated. While the pilot successfully maneuvered to avoid the first mast, which stood at an altitude of 350 meters, a collision occurred with the second structure.
At an altitude of approximately 200 meters, the single-engine airplane struck the second antenna, which had a height of 260 meters. The impact caused the aircraft to catch fire before it crashed into a field at the Karmanovo state farm, roughly 280 meters from the point of impact. The accident resulted in 4 fatalities, including all three crew members and the lone passenger on board.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the weather data provided to the flight crew was inaccurate, as the actual conditions involved much lower ceilings and visibility due to rainfall than previously reported. Furthermore, the radio mast involved in the collision was not correctly identified on navigational charts; specifically, the coordinates for the second antenna were erroneous, and the structure was not properly marked. The actual position of the antenna was 35 km east of what was indicated on the flight documentation.