After recovering the cockpit, the throttles of both engines 2 and 3 (inner right) were found to be shut off, while on engine 4 (outer right) the thrust was set to maximum. The investigating commission asked the Soviets if an Il-62 was able to reach the runway with one engine operating; no conclusive answer was received, but calculations based on the official technical data suggested that, while one engine thrust was insufficient for the aircraft to maintain altitude, it was enough to reach the runway and try to land. No explanation was found why the aircraft with one engine operating at maximum power suddenly entered a steep dive.