Aircraft Crash at Samara-Kurumoch Airport in Freezing Fog (RA-65021)

Flight Details and Accident Sequence The aircraft departed Surgut for Belgorod with an intermediate stop at Samara, carrying 50 passengers and 7 crew members. During descent to Samara-Kurumoch Airport, weather deteriorated and visibility fell below minimums. After completing the approach checklist, the crew lowered the landing gear, selected 30° flaps, and continued the approach. In poor visibility, the aircraft descended below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) and struck the ground at 320 km/h, 304 metres from the runway threshold and 95 metres left of the extended centerline. The aircraft came to rest upside down and partially burned. ## Casualties and Conditions Six passengers were killed, 21 other occupants were injured, and 30 people escaped uninjured. At the time of the accident, visibility was estimated at 150 metres, with a runway visual range (RVR) of 200 metres for runway 23 and a vertical visibility of 300 feet in freezing fog. ## Official Findings The official probable cause was the crew’s decision to continue the descent below MDA in below-minimums weather until impact. Contributing factors included organizational, technical, and procedural deficiencies among the meteorological office, air traffic control (ATC), and the crew; deficiencies in Samara Airport standards and technical documentation that prevented timely ATC notification of KRAMS-4 weather-station readings showing deterioration below airport minimums; the flight crew’s failure to initiate a go-around at decision height without reliable visual contact with approach lights and the airport environment; ATC’s failure to fully use radar equipment due to contradictions in standards and procedures; poor crew coordination and delayed execution of a missed approach; and the lack of unified federal regulations covering flight operations, ATC, meteorological, and other services, incorporating domestic and international flight-safety experience.