Incident Overview
A flight from Dnepropetrovsk to Mineralnye Vody Airport ended with an emergency landing in an orchard near Armavir Airport after all three engines failed due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair, but all 29 occupants escaped unhurt.
Sequence of Events
Upon arriving at Mineralnye Vody Airport at dusk, the crew initiated an approach but could not distinguish the runway. The captain decided to execute a go-around and elected to divert to Stavropol Airport. Air traffic control (ATC) advised that visibility at Stavropol was 300 metres, though it was actually 700 metres—sufficient for a safe landing. The captain then attempted a second approach to Mineralnye Vody but was forced to perform another go-around. He subsequently decided to divert to Armavir Airport. While on final approach to Armavir, all three engines failed simultaneously due to fuel exhaustion.
Emergency Landing
Faced with complete power loss, the captain completed an emergency landing in an orchard located 1,745 metres short of the runway threshold. All occupants evacuated without injury. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the accident was caused by failure of all three engines on final approach to Armavir Airport due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors included poor flight planning on the part of the crew, who departed Dnepropetrovsk Airport with insufficient fuel considering the two missed approaches and diversion to Armavir, and inaccurate information provided by ATC concerning the visibility at Stavropol Airport, which was reported as 300 metres but was actually 700 metres, which would have allowed a safe landing.