What happened
On April 3, 2023, the owner and pilot of an ultralight aircraft, Berkut RA-0485G, arrived at a private airfield located approximately 1.5 km northeast of the settlement of Srednyaya Akhtuba. The pilot arrived in a personal vehicle towing a trailer containing the aircraft, which had been stored at a private residence since October 2022 and was transported in a disassembled state. The pilot performed the assembly of the Berkut RA-0485G independently.
Prior to the flight, the pilot had informed relatives of his intention to conduct flights. On the day of the accident, the pilot arrived at the site at approximately 09:30. No flight plan for visual flight rules (VFR) operations had been submitted to air traffic control services.
The investigation
Because the pilot was also the owner of the aircraft and died in the accident, certain details regarding the event were gathered from statements provided by third parties. The investigation noted that the pilot had been resting at home the day before the accident and had not reported any health issues. Under applicable regulations (FAP-128), a formal medical examination was not required at this location as no medical professional was present, leaving the decision to fly to the pilot's discretion.
Records from the regional air traffic management center in Rostov-on-Don confirmed that no flight plan for the use of airspace had been filed for the Berkut RA-0485G on the date of the incident, and no specific authorization for VFR flight had been issued.