What happened
During a geophysical survey operation conducted for the Russian Ministry of Geology (MinGeo), a single-engine aircraft struck the summit of Mt Hor-Taiga. The incident occurred while the crew was navigating through marginal weather conditions at an altitude of 2,618 meters. During the cruise phase, the right main landing gear made contact with the top of the mountain, causing the aircraft to crash into a nearby ravine.
The impact resulted in two fatalities and four injuries. The flight engineer died at the scene, while the navigator succumbed to injuries 16 hours after the accident. Among the survivors, two individuals managed to trek from the wreckage to locate assistance, returning the following day to assist in the evacuation of the remaining injured crew members. The aircraft, which was a new unit, was completely destroyed during the impact.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified inadequate flight preparation by the crew as a primary factor. Several contributing elements were noted, including a lack of specialized training necessary to maintain safety standards and insufficient pilot experience specifically related to geophysical survey operations.
Furthermore, the crew lacked complete meteorological data regarding the mountainous terrain they were traversing. The investigation also highlighted the absence of specific flight manuals and established procedures for aerial photography missions. Finally, the findings pointed to overconfidence from the navigator and a significant deterioration in weather conditions during the flight as critical contributing factors.