Incident Overview
On a flight from Rostov-on-Don to Kerch, an aircraft was operating in limited visibility due to cloudy conditions. At an altitude of 5,700 meters, it collided with an Aeroflot Antonov AN-24RV, registered CCCP-46518. The AN-24 was on a route from Donetsk to Sochi with 52 people on board.
Collision and Crash
Following the collision, both aircraft entered a dive and crashed into the Black Sea approximately 37 kilometers south of Anapa. Both aircraft sank to a depth of about 500 meters. None of the 70 occupants survived the crash.
Aircraft and Occupants
The two aircraft involved were the AN-24RV and another plane. The AN-24 carried 52 occupants, while the other aircraft had 18 occupants, totaling 70 people. Both aircraft were destroyed in the impact and subsequent sinking.
Investigation and Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause. The in-flight collision was the consequence of mistakes committed by the air traffic controller in charge of the western sector of the Krasnodar area who violated the published procedures and failed to provide the minimum separation of 600 meters required for both aircraft prior to transfer them to the Anapa sector. The lack of visibility due to significant cloud cover was considered as a contributing factor, as well as poor ATC coordination between various sectors.