The official Soviet aviation board investigation of the accident concluded that the crash was caused by "mistakes and violations" made by air traffic controllers.

It was operated by the airline's Moldova division and, at the time of the accident, had logged 12,739 hours and completed 7683 takeoff-landing cycles.

[2] En route to their destinations both aircraft passed through the Kharkiv regional air traffic control (ATC) center airspace.

[3] On 11 August 1979, at 07:50 MSK a new shift of air traffic controllers began work, headed by Sergei Sergeev.

When the ATC supervisor heard the radio traffic and saw the aircraft converging on the radar screen he realized the catastrophic situation and attempted to correct it.

At 13:34:21 ATC controller repeated the order and then directed Flight 7880 from 8400 meters to the now vacant altitude at 9,000 metres (30,000 ft).

The impact spun 7628 to the right, causing the tails of both aircraft to collide at which time the left engine of 7628 struck the keel of 7880, and 7628's right wing was torn off.

Flight 7628 tumbled out of control and broke up, with debris scattered over an area measuring 16 by 3 kilometres (9.9 by 1.9 mi; 8.6 by 1.6 nmi).

The pilots of 7880 attempted an emergency landing, but at an altitude of approximately 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) they lost control and at 13:38 crashed to the ground north-east of Dniprodzerzhynsk, completely destroying the aircraft.

[3] In the subsequent investigation the commission concluded that center of gravity and takeoff weights of both aircraft were within the normal range and that there was no explosion or fire prior to the collision.

[4] The commission also found that maintenance was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the regulations and that the level of training of flight crews of both aircraft, as well as their work experience, were not the cause of the crash.

[4] When the commission examined the action of the controllers they discovered a series of errors made by Zhukovsky: The investigators also discovered that the more experienced controller, Vladimir Sumy, was in error during the last minutes before the crash, having received a vague answer without a call sign, he did not confirm if the crew of Flight 7880 understood.

[4] Nine months after the disaster, a court sentenced controllers Zhukovsky and Sumy to 15 years imprisonment in a penal colony.