Accident Details
On approach to Zhdanov Airport, the pilot-in-command decided to continue under VFR mode while the SP-50 ILS system was not yet activated. The three-engine airplane was descending between the outer marker and the inner marker. As it approached the inner marker, the aircraft entered an area of fog, and visual contact was lost.
At an insufficient height, the airplane struck a 9-meter high concrete pole with its right wing, which was partially torn off. The aircraft caught fire, rolled to the right at an angle of 90°, and then crashed 420 meters further. The wreckage was found 610 meters short of the runway threshold and 140 meters to the right of its extended centerline.
Occupants and Injuries
Three crew members and five passengers were killed. Twenty other occupants sustained injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was determined to be the pilot-in-command's decision to continue the approach below the glide under VFR mode in IMC conditions.