Accident Details
In the afternoon, a C-421 (FVSP) RA-0879G aircraft departed Annino AFB (Gorelovo) to perform a local training mission consisting of touch-and-go maneuvers. After completing two circuits, the aircraft landed normally. The crew then took off and initiated a rotation without informing air traffic control. Following liftoff, at an altitude of approximately 10–15 meters, the aircraft rolled to the right to an angle of 70°, stalled, and impacted the ground in a kindergarten located one kilometer from the airport. The aircraft burst into flames, was destroyed, and both pilots were killed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the accident was most probably caused by a right and then left engine flameout during the touch-and-go landing, leading to a decrease in flight speed and a stall entry, resulting in ground impact with a bank angle over 70°. The engine flameout midair was most probably caused by fuel-air mixture depletion due to a low fuel level in the aircraft tanks, combined with inadequate fuel quality, which led to engine trouble.
Contributing Factors
The investigation listed the following factors that could have contributed to the accident:
- Flight operation with low fuel on board.
- Inadequate fuel quality.
- Inadequate crew training for the forthcoming flight.
- Inadequate maintenance prior to the aircraft familiarization flight after long-term parking.
- Touch-and-go landing and continued takeoff with engine trouble during run operation.
- Non-feathering of the switched-off engine propeller midair (non-compliance with requirement of clause 2 of subsection 3 of the "Engine Inoperative Procedure" section of the aircraft Flight Operating Manual).
- Possible failure of fuel booster pump switches to the on position by the crew before takeoff.
- Inadequate flight operation management, aircraft maintenance, and efficiency discipline in "Aviator" Airclub LLC.
- Weak monitoring by senior staff over maintenance operations and accident prevention.
- The flight was performed by a crew on an aircraft without an airworthiness certificate (violation of clause 1, article 35 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation and clause 1 of FAR-118).