What happened
On March 19, 2011, at approximately 11:30, two individuals arrived at the Zabelsky Central Aviation and Sports Aeroclub to perform maintenance and system checks on a Kamov Ka-26, registration RA-24313. The aircraft had been stored in a hangar since November 2010 in a partially disassembled state, having been acquired by the buyer for restoration. The restoration process involved installing engines, a gearbox, and rotor blades, with work performed by an acquaintance of the buyer.
The crew prepared the helicopter for engine testing, initially without rotor blades and subsequently with the main rotors installed. Following the engine start, no issues were noted regarding the performance of the engines or onboard systems. The buyer's intention was to transport the aircraft to an aviation museum in Kirillovo via ground transport. However, due to the presence of deep snow, moving the helicopter to a new parking area on the ground was deemed impossible. Consequently, the buyer decided to move the helicopter to the new parking spot via flight.
The investigation
Investigators found that the aircraft had been received in a disassembled condition and required significant components to be functional. Because no operational or technical documentation was maintained for the restoration work, the commission was unable to establish a definitive timeline or verify the quality of the repairs performed on the Kamov Ka-26. The investigation noted that while no flights were officially planned for that day, the decision to fly was made to bypass ground obstacles.