What happened
During operations at Nukha Airport, an aircraft attempted to depart from a runway surface covered in compacted snow amidst active snow showers and crosswinds. Approximately 124 meters into the takeoff roll, the tail wheel lifted, but the left main landing gear made contact with an irregularity on the runway. Rather than aborting the departure, the pilot chose to proceed with the maneuver.
As the pilot attempted to rotate the aircraft, the airspeed was insufficient for a safe climb. The aircraft type entered a stall condition shortly after liftoff. Following several bounces on the surface, the plane veered off the runway and descended into a ravine. The wreckage came to rest near the Gurdzhanachay River, roughly 900 meters beyond the end of the runway threshold. The accident resulted in 1 fatality and 21 injuries, with several individuals sustaining serious harm. The aircraft was destroyed in the event.
Findings
Investigations determined that the takeoff was initiated on a contaminated runway surface characterized by compacted snow, accompanied by lateral winds reaching 5 meters per second. A critical factor in the accident was that the pilot failed to abort the takeoff after the initial impact with a runway irregularity, leading to an attempt to rotate at an inadequate speed which induced the stall.