What happened
On July 22, 2009, a Mi-8AMT, registration RA-22968, operated by the Samara branch of Gazpromavia LLC, was performing flight GZP-9542. The mission was a transport and communications aerovisual flight on behalf of the customer, Lukoil-Volgogradneftegaz. The planned route included traveling from Volgograd Airport to the "13th km" landing site, then to the settlement of Kotovo, returning to the "13th km" site, and finally back to Volgograd Airport.
The crew completed an initial short flight lasting approximately 8 minutes from Volgograd Airport to the "13th km" landing site to pick up five passengers. During this initial leg, the aircraft and its systems functioned normally, and no issues were reported by the crew.
The investigation
The investigation reviewed the crew's professional training, noting that their preparation met all civil aviation requirements and mission objectives. There were no recorded deficiencies regarding simulator training, flight technique, or practical airborne performance. Pre-flight procedures were conducted in accordance with regulatory documents. The crew underwent mandatory medical examinations at the Volgograd Airport medical station between 02:39 and 02:53 UTC and were cleared for flight. The crew also had sufficient rest and were provided with accurate meteorological information, which indicated simple weather conditions for the route. Maintenance of the aircraft was performed by the technical staff of the Gazpromavia Samara branch, and no pre-flight technical issues were noted.