Background
On May 7, 2009, a Bell-407 helicopter registered as RA-01895 was ferried from the factory airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant to an unregistered and unprepared landing site near the governor's residence in the Angarskie Khutora recreation complex. The flight was conducted under an urgent request signed by the plant director and a flight assignment signed by the head of the flight test station, who lacked the authority to do so. No additional flight plan was filed with air traffic control for subsequent flights.
Sequence of Events
On May 8, 2009, one of the two pilots (Pilot 1) visited the Eastern Siberian Interregional Territorial Administration of Rosaviatsia to seek permission for flights. He presented the helicopter's airworthiness certificate (No. 2021090216, valid until May 6, 2011), its state registration certificate (No. 5951, issued March 5, 2009), and his own commercial pilot license (III P No. 007533, valid until July 10, 2009), which included a Bell-407 rating. Based on these documents, permission was granted. However, Pilot 1 did not present a power of attorney from the owner, insurance documents for the pilot, helicopter, and third parties, nor contracts for helicopter basing, maintenance, meteorological, or air navigation services.
Pilot 1 recommended Pilot 2 to the governor to replace him. Pilot 2 arrived from Moscow on May 8 and conducted flights on May 9, including the accident flight.
Regulatory Compliance Issues
The flight operations were conducted without proper authorization. The landing site was not registered or equipped for aviation use. Required documents such as ownership authorization, insurance, and support service contracts were absent when flight permission was obtained. The flight on May 9 occurred without a separate air traffic control filing.