All 38 passengers and crew were killed in the crash which occurred when one of the engines failed due to icing during initial climb out.

At the time, the crash was the second worst in the history of the Yakovlev Yak-40, which had entered operational service with Aeroflot just ten years prior.

The aircraft had struck trees while it was still 23 meters (75 ft) in the air and hit the ground shortly after, destroying the airframe and detaching the flight's tail and rear stabilizers.

The Soviet State Research Institute of Civil Aviation accident commission determined the crash to be the fault of the crew.

The commission also cited air traffic control's failure to point out nearby terrain after giving the aircraft clearance to turn left after takeoff at an altitude of just one hundred meters as a contributing factor to the accident.