What happened
On the night of the accident, a RusAir flight, operating on behalf of RusLine as flight 243, departed from Moscow-Domodedovo Airport bound for Petrozavodsk, Karelia. During the final approach phase, the aircraft encountered heavy fog, which limited vertical visibility to approximately 300 metres.
While attempting to land, the crew descended the aircraft below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) without successfully establishing visual contact with the runway lighting. During this low-altitude descent, the plane struck an electric pole and subsequently crashed onto a road before coming to a stop in a garden area, located 570 metres short of runway 02.
Of the total occupants on board, 44 fatalities were initially recorded, while eight individuals were rescued from the wreckage. In the days following the impact, the casualty count increased as one survivor succumbed to their injuries two days later, and two additional survivors died from burns five and six days after the event.
Findings
Investigations into the crash indicated that the crew performed a descent below the prescribed MDA without having the runway in sight. The primary factor contributing to the impact was the descent below the minimum descent altitude during conditions of significantly reduced visibility.