What happened
On July 23, 2009, the pilot in command submitted a request via fax to the Saratov-Central air traffic control service to utilize airspace near the Saratov-Yuzhny aerodrome the following day. The request specified a flight window between 02:00 and 16:00 at altitudes ranging from 300 to 1200 meters for an A-33 aircraft, registration RA-0763G.
In the early hours of July 24, 2009, the pilot obtained permission for visual flight rules (VFR) via telephone from the non-radar sector controller. The pilot arrived at Saratov-Yuzhny aerodrome at 01:05 to prepare an An-52, registration RA-0380G, for flight operations. A trainee, who had been invited to the flight via SMS the previous evening, arrived at the airfield and joined the pilot in the cockpit to discuss the flight program.
At 01:50, the pilot taxied the An-52 onto the runway. Following coordination between the aerodrome controller and the Saratov-Central controller, takeoff was cleared at 02:00. The first training flight was conducted between 02:00 and 02:40. After landing, the pilot taxied near the airfield's control point and shut down the engines. The source notes that the aircraft had not been refueled with automotive gasoline prior to the second intended flight.