What happened
During an evening local training flight departing from Stalingrad-Gumrak Airport, an aircraft experienced a critical loss of control shortly after takeoff. While the plane was in its initial climb at an altitude of approximately 20 to 30 meters and a speed of 200 km/h, the instructor on board chose to decrease the power of the left engine to nominal levels.
Upon noticing the drop in power, the pilot-in-command believed the left engine had suffered a failure. Following standard emergency protocols for an engine loss, the pilot instructed the crew to shut down the engine and feather the propeller. During this sequence, the aircraft entered a steep left bank of 70 degrees and subsequently stalled. The plane crashed into a snow-covered field situated 2,100 meters beyond the runway threshold. The accident resulted in one fatality and three injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed during the impact.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the instructor reduced engine power without communicating this action to the rest of the crew, which violated established procedures. This lack of communication caused the pilot-in-command to misidentify the situation as an actual engine failure.
Official findings noted that the instructor was not permitted to simulate an engine failure or reduce power below a minimum safe altitude of 1,000 meters. Additional contributing factors included the instructor's insufficient experience with this specific aircraft type and during night operations, totaling only 176 hours. Furthermore, the captain failed to properly monitor the aircraft's performance during the maneuver.