What happened
A cargo transport operation traveling from Leningrad to Kiev, with a scheduled stop in Minsk-1, ended in an accident during the departure phase. The aircraft was transporting 1,151 kg of glue at the time of the incident. During the takeoff roll, the pilot initiated rotation at a speed of 130 km/h.
Immediately following liftoff, the aircraft drifted toward the left side of the runway. In an attempt to correct the course, the pilot applied rightward input; however, the tail wheel made contact with the ground approximately 35 meters to the left of the runway centerline, causing it to be ripped from the airframe. The plane traveled several more meters before impacting a snowbank roughly 245 meters left of the runway. The impact resulted in six serious injuries and the total destruction of the aircraft. One member of the crew, the radio operator, succumbed to their injuries several hours after the crash.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the primary reason for the loss of control was that the aircraft was overloaded by 687 kilograms. Several contributing elements were identified during the analysis:
- The rotation speed used was inadequate for the actual total weight of the plane.
- The aircraft had been set with a 3° nose-down trim prior to departure.
- The Center of Gravity (CofG) was positioned too far toward the rear.
- The flight engineer and co-pilot were working beyond their duty limits.
- Fatigue and diminished operational capacity were noted, as the co-pilot and flight engineer had personally handled the receiving, delivery, and loading of the cargo prior to takeoff.