What happened
During an approach to Zheleznogorsk-Ilimskiy Airport, a three-engine airplane traveling from Irkutsk-Magan Airport entered its final descent phase. At an altitude of approximately 400 meters, the aircraft struck a Mil Mi-8 helicopter, registration CCCP-22268, which was arriving from Bratsk as part of a training mission.
The helicopter was carrying seven individuals at the time of the impact. The collision caused both the airplane and the helicopter to descend rapidly into hilly, forested terrain situated roughly 11 km from the destination airport. Upon impact with the ground, both aircraft caught fire. The accident resulted in 40 fatalities, leaving no survivors among the occupants of either aircraft.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the primary reason for the collision was inadequate air traffic control surveillance. This lack of oversight allowed both flights to begin their approaches without verifying that the required separation distances were being maintained according to established protocols. Consequently, the helicopter's flight path intersected with the approach trajectory of the airplane. Additionally, a failure in radio communications between the three relevant parties was noted as a contributing factor to the disaster.