Investigation Summary
The flight originated in Surgut and was scheduled to continue to Belgorod after a stop in Samara. During the approach to Samara, weather conditions deteriorated rapidly. Although the crew was initially briefed on visibility of 1,200 to 1,500 meters, actual conditions at the time of the accident had dropped to approximately 600 meters with a cloud base of only 30 meters, well below the airport's landing minima. A critical breakdown in communication occurred when the meteorological station officer observed visibility dropping to 800 meters and then 608 meters but failed to notify Air Traffic Control. Consequently, the controller provided the crew with an outdated visibility report of 800 meters. On the flight deck, the crew exhibited poor coordination. The captain incorrectly briefed the glide slope capture altitude as 500 meters instead of the charted 400 meters. During the final approach, the navigator failed to announce passing the Outer Marker, and the aircraft maintained a vertical descent rate of 6 m/s, exceeding recommended parameters. Despite failing to establish visual contact with the approach lights at the decision height, the crew continued the descent. The aircraft eventually impacted the ground in a hard touchdown, leading to its destruction. Both the captain and co-pilot later received suspended prison sentences for negligence.
Final Conclusions
The Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) concluded that the crash was caused by the aircraft's destruction following a hard touchdown short of the runway in weather conditions significantly below minima. Contributing factors included the crew's failure to initiate a missed approach at decision height, the meteorological service's failure to provide timely visibility updates to ATC, and contradictions in regulatory documents that prevented controllers from using the full capabilities of their radar equipment to assist the flight.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
KRAMS-4 Weather Station
The automated weather system at Samara Airport which registered visibility drops that were not manually relayed to the flight crew by airport staff.
Soloviev D-30-III Engines
The aircraft's two engines, which the MAK investigation confirmed were operating normally until the point of impact.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-134A-3 manufactured in 1976 with MSN 48390.
- 02Visibility at the time of impact was approximately 600 meters with a 30-meter cloud base, which was below landing minima.
- 03The aircraft did not suffer any technical malfunctions or fire prior to the ground impact.
- 04Six passengers were killed; 26 occupants were injured and hospitalized, while 25 others survived without physical injury.
- 05The captain was sentenced to six years and the co-pilot to two years of imprisonment (both suspended).
Safety Actions & Advisories
Regulatory Harmonization
The investigation highlighted a need for unified federal regulations covering flight operations, ATC, and weather services to ensure consistent safety standards.