At 20:13:28 the crew reported that they were on a bearing of 317° (opposite to the runway) and at 20:15:55 the pilots informed the controller that they were having issues with their compass, while at an altitude of 900 metres.

At 20:16:25 with the landing gear released, at a speed of 380–400 km/h (210–220 kn; 240–250 mph) and 19 kilometres (12 mi; 10 nmi) from the runway the aircraft began to perform a third right turn for the approach.

During approach while on a bearing of 143° the crew lost spatial orientation, entered a spin to the left and crashed in a field 16 kilometres (9.9 mi; 8.6 nmi) northwest of Domodedovo Airport (196 kilometres (122 mi; 106 nmi) from the airport reference point), striking several power lines.

[1][2] The investigation concluded that after the first right turn executed by the aircraft (in which the bank exceeded 40°), multiple navigation instruments including the compass and artificial horizon failed.

Combined with the poor visibility at the airport, the crew lost spatial orientation and were unable to see any landmarks to determine their position.