What happened
During an approach to Leningrad-Pulkovo Airport following a flight from Sukhumi, the crew encountered heavy rainfall. While performing the approach at an altitude of 400 meters and a speed of 287 km/h, the crew configured the aircraft by deploying the flaps to a 45° angle. Approximately fifteen seconds later, as the aircraft was 5,700 meters from the runway, the crew received landing clearance.
As the flight continued, the aircraft descended below the established glide path. The aircraft was traveling at 250 km/h with a descent rate of 7 meters per second when it impacted the ground 13 meters before reaching the runway threshold. At the moment of impact, the aircraft was in a 1° nose-down attitude and experienced a positive acceleration of 4.5 g. The impact caused the aircraft to break into three separate pieces, eventually coming to a stop 80 meters to the left of the runway.
Findings
The accident resulted in 13 fatalities and 38 injuries, while 130 individuals on board escaped without harm. The primary factor in the accident was the aircraft passing below the glide path during the final approach phase.