Incident
Following several days of delay due to poor weather in the Kirov oblast region, the route to the south reopened on the morning of January 21. While cruising at an altitude of 150 meters in visibility of 2 to 4 kilometers on the leg from Kirov to Sovetsk, a single-engine aircraft collided with a second aircraft. The second aircraft was an Aeroflot Antonov An-2 registered CCCP-02142, carrying 12 passengers and two pilots. The first aircraft was registered CCCP-01218.
After the collision, the Antonov An-2 (CCCP-02142) sustained slight damage, and its crew was able to continue to Kirov. The single-engine aircraft (CCCP-01218) went out of control, diving into the ground at a nose-down angle of about 60 degrees, and crashed in flames in a wooded area near Levinskaya Verkhoshizhemsky, approximately 70 km southwest of Kirov. The aircraft was destroyed by fire, and all ten occupants were killed.
Investigation
The official investigation into the accident determined the probable cause.
Probable Cause
The collision was the consequence of errors on part of both crew members who failed to follow visual flight rules. Poor weather evaluation on part of the operations and poor flight preparation and organization were considered as contributing factors.