What happened
On April 2, 2016, at 05:01, a pilot initiated a flight in an Eurocopter EC130B4, registration RA-07256, departing from the settlement of Ozernye Klyuchi. The flight was intended to transport four passengers along a route involving several stops, including "7 km", Tsentralnaya Uglovaya airfield, "16 km", Tavrichanka, "51 km", and Bezverkhovoy, before returning to the starting point. The flight plan was submitted on the day of the operation, and flight permission was granted by the non-radar sector dispatcher of the Khabarovsk Air Traffic Control Center.
The investigation
Investigation into the flight preparations revealed several procedural irregularities. The pilot did not submit a request for meteorological support, and the operator, Vostochno-Strakhovoy Alliance LLC, had no active contract for such services. There was no verifiable evidence that the pilot had reviewed the forecasted or actual weather conditions for the route or the destination, nor did the pilot contact the Artem meteorological station for information.
Regarding crew readiness, the pilot did not undergo a formal medical examination prior to departure, as no medical personnel were available at the departure point in Ozernye Klyuchi; under applicable regulations, the pilot was responsible for self-authorizing the crew's fitness. The aircraft had been refueled with 420 liters of fuel following a previous flight on March 30, 2016, but no additional refueling took place on the day of the accident. The aircraft was officially accepted for flight by the pilot following an inspection by the aircraft technician.
Findings
- The pilot failed to obtain or review necessary meteorological information for the flight route.
- The lack of meteorological oversight and weather awareness was a significant factor in the flight's operational safety.