What happened
While operating a flight from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Khabarovsk, the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 10,600 metres. Approximately 35 minutes after the departure, the plane experienced a right-side roll and entered an uncontrolled descent. The aircraft subsequently crashed within the isolated Sikhot-Alin Mountain Range.
Search and rescue efforts were launched immediately following the disappearance. However, operations were forced to pause after one day because of worsening weather. The search resumed four days later, and the wreckage was eventually located 11 days after the incident, situated roughly 50 km west of Grossevichi. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate, and there were 98 fatalities.
Findings
No specific technical cause for the roll and subsequent descent was provided in the initial report, though the wreckage was found in a highly rugged and mountainous terrain.