Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome; landing 195 km southwest of Tselinograd / 140 km southeast of Arkalyk.

The docking with space station Salyut 5 failed because of serious technical problems (approach was until 100 m, but the automatic docking system failed and the crew was not trained on manual docking). So the only possible solution was an immediate return to Earth.

The spacecraft experienced a remarkable and near catastrophic return to Earth. The crew landed at night on a frozen lake (Tengiz) during a snow-storm (195 km southwest of Tselinograd / 140 km southeast of Arkalyk). The ice broke, the parachute became wet and took the escape hatch under water. The capsule was cooled and the heating systems had been turned down to conserve the battery power. Several attempts, to reach the capsule, failed. Eventually swimmers were able to attach a cable to a helicopter. The capsule was taken by a helicopter and was dragged for 5 km over the sea. The next morning the crew could escape after a very cold night. The rescue men were surprised to find the crew alive.