Incident
An aircraft engaged in a cargo flight from Leningrad to Kiev with an intermediate stop at Minsk-1 was carrying a load of 1,151 kg of glue. After a normal takeoff roll, the pilot-in-command began rotation at a speed of 130 km/h. Immediately after liftoff, the aircraft had a tendency to veer left. The pilot compensated by turning to the right, at which point the tail wheel struck the ground 35 meters to the left of the runway and was torn off. The airplane continued for a dozen meters before crashing into snow approximately 245 meters to the left of the runway. All six occupants sustained serious injuries. A few hours later, the radio operator succumbed to his injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.
Investigation
The official investigation determined that the loss of control was a consequence of the aircraft being overloaded by 687 kilograms. Several factors were considered as contributing to the accident: the rotation was completed at an insufficient speed considering the total weight of the aircraft; the airplane was trimmed 3° nose-down prior to takeoff; the center of gravity was far aft; the copilot and the flight engineer were overworked (overduty); and the tasks of reception, delivery, and loading of the cargo were performed by the copilot and flight engineer, which adversely affected their working capabilities during takeoff.