What happened
During pre-flight preparations at Irkutsk Airport, the flight crew experienced difficulties starting the engines. Specifically, the second engine encountered a starter issue, which triggered a warning light in the cockpit. After a 17-minute delay attempting to start all three engines, the crew proceeded with the takeoff from runway 12, as they believed the warning light was erroneous and found no specific instructions for the issue in the operations manual.
Approximately four minutes after departure, during the climb phase, the starter for the second engine failed completely. This mechanical failure caused debris to disperse, which severed both fuel and hydraulic lines. The failure led to an intense fire in the second engine. Although the crew declared an emergency and received clearance to return to the airport, they were unable to suppress the flames. The aircraft subsequently entered an uncontrolled descent and struck farm buildings roughly 11 km from the airport. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate.
Findings
- The failure of the engine starter led to the release of debris that damaged critical fuel and hydraulic systems.
- The decision to proceed with takeoff despite an active engine warning light contributed to the sequence of events leading to the crash.
- The crash resulted in the deaths of all 124 occupants of the aircraft and one person on the ground, while one farmer sustained serious injuries.