What happened
On June 17, 2015, a flight instructor conducted a pre-flight briefing with a group of students in a classroom setting to prepare for the following day's operations. This session included a review of completed flights, the processing of flight documentation, and a study of the planned maneuvers for the upcoming flight day.
On the morning of June 18, 2015, the training crew, consisting of a flight instructor and a student, underwent mandatory medical examinations. The student was cleared by the medical technician at 02:52, appearing calm and healthy. The instructor underwent examination at 03:08 and was also found to be in good health and good spirits.
Flight operations at the Buguruslan-Glavny landing site commenced at 03:45. The flight schedule for the day included 14 DA 40 NG aircraft, some of which transitioned to the Buguruslan-Severny landing site after takeoff. At 03:53, the crew of aircraft RA-02654 requested takeoff clearance while two other aircraft were also in communication with the dispatch center. After departing, the crew of RA-02654 climbed to an altitude of 600 meters above the reference point. Shortly thereafter, the crew requested a descent to 300 meters to follow the standard circuit pattern.