Flight and Approach
The aircraft operated an uneventful flight from Moscow-Domodedovo to Krasnovodsk Airport. The crew commenced a night approach in reduced visibility due to night and low clouds, with visibility down to 400 meters. The copilot, serving as pilot-in-command, conducted the approach at a speed of 270 km/h with flaps extended to 28°.
Accident Sequence
During the final segment, the flaps were further extended to 45°, causing the rate of descent to increase to 10 meters per second. At a height of 30 meters, the copilot lacked visual contact with the runway, but the captain decided to continue the approach. The aircraft touched down at an excessive speed of 275 km/h, 3 meters to the left of the runway centerline. It bounced, rolled for several hundred meters, and came to rest on the main runway, broken into two sections.
Injuries and Damage
Eleven passengers were killed, 120 people were injured, and 15 others escaped uninjured.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause as a wrong approach configuration on the part of the pilot-in-command (copilot), who continued the approach after passing the minimum descent altitude without any visual contact with the runway. Contributing factors included excessive approach speed and rate of descent, poor approach planning and landing preparation, lack of crew coordination, lack of supervision by the captain, failure to initiate a go-around procedure, and poor visibility due to night and low clouds.