Investigation Summary
The third and final aircraft lost at Sukhumi in three days was hit on the ground rather than in the air. As Abkhaz forces closed on the city, the airport itself came under BM-21 Grad rocket and mortar fire. The Tu-134 was loading evacuees for Tbilisi when rockets struck the apron, destroying the aircraft. The attacks ended the Georgian air bridge to Sukhumi; the city fell shortly afterwards.
Final Conclusions
The aircraft was destroyed by deliberate rocket artillery fire directed at an airport in use for civil evacuation flights. No airworthiness or crew factor was involved.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was destroyed on the ground during boarding, not in flight.
- 02Abkhaz forces used BM-21 Grad rocket artillery and mortar fire against the airport.
- 03The loss ended Georgian air access to Sukhumi before the city fell.
Location
APPROXIMATE POSITION · Position recorded by the wikipedia geotag without a stated precision, so the ring shows roughly where the event occurred rather than an exact point. The ring shows the accuracy the record supports, not the point of impact.