What happened
During flight SU674, traveling from Irkutsk to Blagoveshchensk via Chita and Zeya, a three-engine airplane was performing its final approach to Zeya Airport. At the time of the incident, weather conditions were poor, with visibility measured at less than 2 km. As the aircraft descended below the minimum descent altitude, a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alert was triggered in the cockpit.
The pilot-in-command elected to proceed with the landing attempt despite the warning. During the descent, the aircraft impacted trees in a forested area situated approximately 125 meters to the right of the runway centerline and 350 meters before reaching the runway threshold. The impact caused the aircraft to burst into flames. The accident resulted in three fatalities (comprising two crew members and one passenger) and 26 injuries. Five passengers were able to evacuate the wreckage without sustaining injuries.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary reason for the crash was the decision by the flight crew to continue the approach after descending below the minimum altitude without establishing visual contact with the runway. The crew did not initiate a go-around following the GPWS alert. Additional contributing factors included local patches of fog during the final segment of the approach and weather conditions that were more severe than those provided in the pre-flight meteorological bulletins.