Incident Overview
During a routine descent to Arkhangelsk-Talagi Airport following an uneventful flight from Kotlas, the crew encountered a critical situation. At an altitude of 600 meters, air traffic control instructed them to expedite the final turn. This led to hurried actions by the crew. The captain directed the flight engineer to reduce power on all three engines to idle. However, when the aircraft reached 580 meters, the flight engineer mistakenly moved the power control levers to the 'stop' position, shutting down all engines.
Emergency Response
The captain attempted to restart the engines but was unsuccessful due to low approach speed. With no engine power, the captain attempted an emergency landing on a nearby road. During touchdown, the aircraft collided with the support structure of a power transmission tower and came to rest. Emergency responders quickly arrived. All 27 occupants were rescued, with 23 sustaining injuries. The extent of injuries is not specified in the report.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the accident resulted from erroneous actions by the flight engineer, who placed the power control levers in the 'stop' position instead of the 'idle' position. A contributing factor was the lack of proper monitoring and control by both the pilot and copilot.