[1][2][3] The subsequent investigation determined that the aircraft had descended abruptly after pitching nose-down, but was unable to establish the cause of the sudden manoeuvre.

[4]: 11–15 [6] The airliner operating the flight was on final approach to Almaty International Airport in thick fog and poor visibility when it crashed 1.6 km (1 mi; 0.9 nmi) short of the runway near the village of Kyzyltu at 13:13 local time (07:13 UTC), 14 seconds after initiating a go-around.

"[1][8] On 2 March 2015, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) released their final report, stating that during the missed approach procedure, initiated due to weather conditions being below minimal, a nose-down elevator deflection was recorded, resulting in a steep dive and impact with the ground.

[4] However, the IAC's final report did state a possible scenario that could have led to the elevator deflection; Captain Evdokimov (who was the pilot flying) may have experienced a heart attack during the go-around (the final report noted that a postaccident autopsy on Evdokimov revealed that he had coronary artery disease), becoming incapacitated and collapsing onto the yoke, pushing the aircraft's nose down.

The scenario also stated that First Officer Sharapov was focusing on radio communications during the upset until the enhanced ground proximity warning system activated.