What happened
On the morning of the accident, an aircraft departed from Susuman Airfield at 08:26 local time. The flight was conducting a prospecting mission for the Seymchan-based 22nd Geophysical NPN Group. On board were three crew members and three passengers working for the geophysical company.
While navigating through a valley at an altitude of approximately 800 meters, the aircraft collided with power cables, severing three lines in the process. Following the impact, the plane became uncontrollable and crashed into flames roughly 375 meters from the site of the initial strike. The accident resulted in three fatalities among the passengers, while the three crew members sustained serious injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified several contributing factors related to flight operations and oversight. It was determined that the pilots did not maintain the required minimum altitude for this specific mission. Additionally, the crew failed to identify and avoid the power lines, which were positioned only about 50 meters above the terrain. The investigation also noted that inadequate flight planning and a lack of proper organization by the geophysical company played significant roles in the occurrence of the accident.