[1] The aircraft was operating passenger flight 229 from Moscow to Rostov-on-Don to Tbilisi and departed from Vnukovo Airport at 05:20.

At 16:02, while flying at an altitude of 2,400 meters, the aircraft entered the Tbilisi Regional Air Traffic Control's zone.

The wreckage of the aircraft was found directly along the flight path on a forested slope near the village of Grigolishi (now Alertkari) and 15 kilometers northeast of Zugdidi.

[1] According to local residents, a severe thunderstorm with hail and heavy rain, accompanied by frequent lightning strikes, occurred in the area of the incident.

This maneuver resulted in an overload that exceeded the critical threshold, causing the wings to break off at the outer sections between the 9th and 14th ribs (outboard of the engines).

With significant portions of the wings missing, the aircraft was unable to continue flight, and the fuselage, with engines running, plunged vertically to the ground, where it was destroyed and burned.

The Sukhumi controller, in contact with colleagues at the Tbilisi regional center, also did not inform them of the aircraft's passage, nor did he seek guidance on the continuation of the flight.

In Tbilisi, there was poor communication between the flight operations manager and the AMS weather station, leading to the latter being unaware of upcoming flights through the Tbilisi air traffic control zone, while air traffic controllers received weather updates and storm warnings with delays.