An Antonov 24B passenger plane, registered CCCP-46788, was destroyed in an accident 13 km from Saratov Airport (RTW), Russia. All 53 passengers and four crew members were killed. Flight SU2174 was a scheduled service from Sverdlovsk to Saratov with an en route stop at Ufa Airport (UFA). The flight left Ufa at 19:59. The en route part of the flight was uneventful. Weather at Saratov was poor with low clouds and icing. While descending towards the airport, the An-24 flew through clouds for a duration of 3 minutes and 50 seconds. During this time there was an build-up of ice on the airframe up to a thickness of 15 mm. The pilot attempted counter a decreasing airspeed by adding engine power. Nevertheless control was lost and the airplane came down at a high rate of descent, striking the ground 13 km from the runway.