The Accident
On 9 July 1998, at approximately 12:00 local time, an Antonov AN-2, registration LY-AOS, departed from Kaunas (Aleksotas) Airport for a flight to Liepaja, Latvia, with an intended landing at Kaunas (Karmėlava) Airport for border and customs control. The flight plan was submitted during the flight. The aircraft was crewed by a pilot-in-command who was also a trainee, accompanied by an instructor pilot.
Approach and Landing
The approach to Kaunas (Karmėlava) Airport was conducted on runway 08. Due to reconstruction work at the beginning of the runway, the aircraft was instructed by the air traffic controller to execute a 360° turn in the vicinity of the fourth turn to wait for the runway to become clear. The landing was carried out without deviation, with an overflight of the work zone as directed by the controller, touching down near the second landing zone marker.
Runway Excursion
After touchdown, during the initial roll, the aircraft tracked along the centerline but began to veer left near taxiway A. The wind was light but from a crosswind direction, with a left crosswind component of approximately 1.5 m/s. The pilot attempted to correct the direction using rudder and intermittent right wheel braking, but these efforts were ineffective. After traveling about 125 meters from taxiway A, the aircraft departed the runway. Skid marks indicated that just before exiting the runway, the pilot had fully applied both wheel brakes.
Damage
After leaving the runway, the right wheel sank into softer ground, causing the right lower wing to strike the ground and deform. The aircraft yawed to the right and rotated approximately 180°, then stopped after the left landing gear struck the ground. The left forward strut of the main landing gear was bent, the rear strut lug was fractured, and the left lower wing suffered multiple deformations: the leading edge was dented, the lower left wing tip fairing deformed, two aileron attachment fittings broken, and two outer flap ribs deformed. On the right side, two outer lower flap ribs and two outer upper wing ribs were deformed, and three right lower aileron hinge fittings were bent. The entire right lower wing was bent upward approximately 25–30° from the center section. The propeller blades were undamaged. Cockpit examination showed the magneto switches off, course system selector off, air pressure 34 atm, flaps extended 20°, and fuel quantity 800 liters.
Post-Accident Actions
The engine continued running throughout the event, and the propeller did not contact the ground. After the aircraft stopped, the instructor pilot, expecting a possible fire, grabbed a fire extinguisher and evacuated the cockpit. The airport fire brigade arrived but was not needed; no fire occurred. The aircraft was towed from the accident site to the apron after about 1.5 hours. No injuries were reported.
Findings
The investigation identified several deficiencies: no pre-flight technical check was performed; the aircraft's airworthiness certificate had expired; flight preparation was inadequate, including lack of flight documentation; documentation was filled out carelessly; the trainee pilot's logbook lacked an endorsement for solo cross-country flights; and the trainee pilot did not have authorization for solo international flights.
The accident sequence was attributed to piloting technique errors due to low flight experience, manifested by delayed actions of the trainee pilot in maintaining directional control during the landing roll in crosswind conditions. Additionally, the safety pilot's passivity was noted as a contributing factor.