What happened
During a scheduled agricultural mission for the sovkhoz im. Kirova, a flight crew was performing crop spraying operations within the Yegorlykskaya district of the Rostov region. While attempting to land, the aircraft encountered dense fog that reduced visibility to levels below established minimums.
Unable to identify the airfield through the thick fog, the pilot initiated a descent at an altitude that proved unsafe for the conditions. The aircraft type struck the ground approximately 1 km before reaching the runway. The impact was followed by a post-crash fire in a snow-covered field, which resulted in the total destruction of the plane. There were 2 fatalities among the crew members.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the primary factor was poor flight organization and an improper decision by the crew to proceed with the approach despite weather conditions being below safe operating limits.