Incident
While cruising at an altitude of 11,000 meters on a scheduled flight from Omsk to Moscow, the crew was informed by air traffic control that the route to Vnukovo was closed because of deteriorating weather. The crew was instructed to divert to Sverdlovsk and reduce altitude to 10,000 meters. Two minutes later, the pilot transmitted a mayday message, reporting a loss of control as the airplane entered a dive. The aircraft struck the ground at an angle of 80° in a field along a railroad track near Kanash. The impact caused total disintegration of the aircraft.
Passengers
All 80 occupants were killed in the crash. Among them were citizens of several countries: three from Sudan, one from Cambodia (the Cambodian ambassador to China), eight from the Czech Republic, three from Romania, one from Poland, five from East Germany, five from Hungary, three from Morocco, two from the United Kingdom, five from France, one from Iraq, and one from Laos.
Investigation
According to official findings, the loss of control was caused by severe downdrafts, updrafts, and atmospheric turbulence encountered at high altitude while the aircraft was changing its itinerary and altitude. The aircraft subsequently reached a critical angle of attack before entering a dive.