Investigation Summary
The flight was the first time the North Caucasus Directorate had operated this specific multi-stop route (Rostov-Krasnodar-Sochi-Sukhumi-Kutaisi-Tbilisi), and the crew had been assembled only a day before the mission. Crucially, the crew did not include a navigator despite the difficult mountainous terrain, and the pilot-in-command lacked the necessary authorization for independent passenger flights on this route. After departing Sochi at 10:07 MSK, the crew requested to bypass the next scheduled stop at Sukhumi because there were no passengers to disembark there. After receiving permission to continue to Kutaisi, the crew ceased radio contact with Sukhumi dispatchers. The dispatchers failed to monitor the flight via radar or maintain continuous communication. Consequently, the aircraft flew 100 kilometers over 20 minutes without a single location update or course correction from the ground. The investigation also found that the flight was being conducted under outdated operational instructions that contradicted current Soviet civil aviation standards (NPP-GA-58).
Final Conclusions
The commission concluded the accident was caused by a combination of crew negligence and air traffic control failures. The pilot-in-command failed to take control bearings or request weather and location updates from Sukhumi. Ground personnel, including the flight manager and controller, failed to ensure radar monitoring or transmit critical weather information to the crew. Additionally, radio duties at the dispatch center were being performed by an unsupervised intern who failed to monitor the flight's progress.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
The crew was operating under VFR but entered clouds and failed to maintain visual contact with the ground, leading to a loss of orientation in mountainous terrain.
Ground Radar Control
Sukhumi dispatchers possessed radar equipment but failed to use it to track Flight 207 or alert the crew to their deviation from the flight path.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft had accumulated 5,423 total flight hours at the time of the crash.
- 02The impact occurred at an altitude of 1,200 meters on Mount Rech (peak altitude 1,436 meters) at coordinates 42.866 N, 43.307 E.
- 03The aircraft was 17 kilometers north of its assigned route when it crashed.
- 04The crew did not include a navigator, which was a requirement for the difficult route.
- 05The flight was being operated using outdated instructions that contradicted NPP-GA-58 regulations.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Regulatory Compliance
The investigation emphasized the necessity of following NPP-GA-58 flight planning instructions over outdated local procedures.