Night Approach Accident at Krasnovodsk Airport (CCCP-87323)

Incident Overview During a night approach to Krasnovodsk Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions. At an approximate altitude of 300 meters and 5 kilometers from the airfield, the aircraft's speed decreased from 260 km/h to 200 km/h, accompanied by a descent rate of 2.5 meters per second. The crew attempted to correct the configuration, but the aircraft continued descending and struck a rocky cliff on the Caspian Sea shore at 150 km/h. The cliff was located 159 meters above sea level and approximately 4,700 meters short of the runway threshold. Upon impact, the right engine and right wing were torn off. The aircraft bounced and crashed in flames a few dozen meters further. The accident resulted in the deaths of two crew members and 21 passengers, with 15 other occupants injured. ## Official Findings The investigation determined that the aircraft was caught by orographic turbulence on final approach, with a speed of about 30 meters per second (108 km/h). This turbulence caused the aircraft to lose altitude and speed, and the crew's correction attempts were unsuccessful. Contributing factors included the meteorologist's lack of knowledge about the specific climate phenomenon, the absence of a detection system for such conditions, and the crew's inexperience in such flight conditions.