What happened
During a departure from Kutaisi Airport, an Antonov AN-24 operated by Aeroflot was instructed by air traffic control to remain at an altitude of 300 meters. This deviation from the standard climb to 2,400 meters was ordered to maintain separation from another aircraft, an Antonov AN-24, which was approaching a different airfield in the same area.
Shortly after takeoff, while flying through severe weather and low visibility, the crew did not transition from visual flight rules (VFR) to instrument flight rules (IFR). While navigating these difficult conditions, the aircraft collided with a mountain slope approximately 47 km west of the airport. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the airframe and 14 fatalities, with no survivors.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several systemic failures within the air traffic control environment. A primary factor was inadequate radar coverage and insufficient assistance provided by ATC in the region. Furthermore, a lack of coordination within the Kutaisi Airport area control center was noted. At the time of the incident, controllers were not aware of the degraded visibility caused by the weather. Additional contributing elements included procedural violations, poor organizational structure, and a lack of operational discipline.