What happened
During a flight originating from Krasnodar, the crew began their approach to Omsk Airport under conditions of low visibility caused by nighttime and rainfall. As the aircraft touched down at a speed of approximately 270 km/h, the captain identified several vehicles positioned on the runway. In an attempt to avoid the collision, the pilot executed a right-hand turn, but the left wing made contact with the vehicles. The impact destroyed all three ground vehicles and resulted in the instant death of four people on board.
Following the collision, the aircraft lost control, veered toward the left, and exited the runway. The plane eventually came to a halt upside down, having broken into two sections and caught fire. While five individuals—comprising the crew and one passenger—managed to survive, the accident resulted in 174 other fatalities.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the runway maintenance supervisor permitted three vehicles to enter the active runway for work but subsequently fell asleep. Consequently, the supervisor failed to notify Air Traffic Control (ATC) regarding the presence of the ground equipment. Due to the heavy rain and darkness, the controller could not visually detect the vehicles from the tower and was unable to warn the incoming flight.
Furthermore, the maintenance vehicles were not equipped with necessary safety features, such as radios to monitor tower communications or rotating flashing beacons to increase visibility.