Accident Sequence
The flight from Krasnoyarsk to Tura Airport proceeded without incident until arrival, when poor weather and limited visibility prevented the crew from establishing visual contact with the runway. The crew initiated a go-around and entered a holding pattern. Two additional approaches were abandoned over the following minutes. The crew then decided to divert to Vanavara Airport, located 450 km southeast of Tura.
After a total flight time of 3 hours and 45 minutes, while descending to Vanavara, all three engines stopped simultaneously. The captain attempted an emergency landing in a cleared area, but the aircraft struck trees at a speed of 235 km/h. It went out of control and crashed on the shore of the Chamba River, coming to rest upside down. The wreckage was found 41 km north-northwest of Vanavara. All 28 occupants were killed.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that all three engines failed simultaneously due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors included:
- Poor flight planning: the crew chose Vanavara as the alternate airport, 450 km from Tura, while Baykit Airport was only 110 km from Tura with good weather conditions at the time.
- The crew incorrectly calculated the total fuel required for the flight and alternate.
- The crew was unaware of deteriorating weather at Tura because ground personnel failed to conduct effective observations and inform the crew.
- The deviation during the first straight-in approach, caused probably by short-term de-energizing of the Outer Marker beacon and incorrect determination of distance to VPP.
- The crew failed to monitor approach pattern parameters during the second and third approaches in visibility below minimums.
- The crew started descent to Vanavara prematurely after selecting the wrong flight altitude.