What happened
During a departure from runway 30 at Irkutsk-Intl Airport, an AN-2 carrying two crew members and 11 passengers was climbing through 270 meters. At this altitude, the aircraft encountered an Aeroflot AN-12B, registered CCCP-12985, which was conducting a local training mission with seven crew members on board. The collision occurred amidst conditions of restricted visibility.
Following the impact, the AN-2 lost control and crashed into flames approximately 200 meters from the point of collision, resulting in 13 fatalities. The crew of the AN-12B attempted an emergency landing, eventually coming to a halt in a prairie nearly 4 kilometers beyond the runway threshold. During the landing sequence, the aircraft slid for 220 meters before striking a concrete mast, which caused the fuselage to break into two pieces. All seven personnel aboard the AN-12B survived the incident without injury.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the collision was primarily driven by improper decision-making and inadequate planning by air traffic controllers at Irkutsk-Magan Airport. Additionally, the reduced visibility during the flight phase was identified as a contributing factor to the accident.