The pilots attempted a forced landing, which resulted in the aircraft crashing in the south-western outskirts of Nakhchivan (city), 3.85 km (2.4 mi) from the airport runway.

The co-pilot Sergey Kuliyev, who was at the controls, responded by countering the left bank, but five seconds later the flight engineer Alexander Sokolov reported, in error, that the no.

The aircraft climbed to an altitude of 197 metres (646 ft), while the speed had decreased to 290 kilometres per hour (160 kn; 180 mph).

The captain decided to make an emergency landing, but encountered an apartment block and made a sharp right turn to avoid it.

The joint investigation commission found that vibration caused the nuts on the engine mounts to loosen and fall off.

Azerbaijan Airlines deputy head Nazim Javadov, however, said the use of the defective parts for repairs was permitted by the engine manufacturer, Russian company Perm Motors.