Incident Overview
A crew was completing a local training flight at Gyandzha Airport. They had performed three full-stop landings and one touch-and-go manoeuvre. After completing a circuit, the crew was attempting a new approach when the aircraft nosed down to an angle of 70° and crashed 5,160 metres short of the runway and 93 metres to the left of its extended centerline. The aircraft disintegrated on impact. All six crew members were killed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that a group of Azeri soldiers returning along the highway from the range to the barracks wanted to have fun and were shooting at road signs. When they saw the airplane, they shot towards it. Two bullets punched oxygen bottles, which exploded, causing a fire and intoxicating the pilots, who lost control of the airplane.