What happened
On May 26, 2018, the pilot arrived at the P. I. Baranov aeroclub airfield to attend to various administrative tasks. During the evening, the pilot was approached by individuals requesting an introductory flight over the airfield area. Although the pilot initially declined, he accepted a second request following dinner. After moving the Kalidus gyroplane, registration RA-0038A, out of the hangar, the pilot performed a pre-flight inspection and checked the fuel levels.
Around 18:00, the pilot began taxiing from the hangar toward the runway. The passenger was seated in the rear seat and briefed on safety procedures, including seatbelt use and cabin intercom operation. The takeoff was performed from an unpaved runway with a magnetic heading of 237°.
The investigation
The investigation examined the regulatory compliance of the flight within the airspace over the Bogorodsk aerodrome, which is classified as Class C. It was determined that no flight plan had been submitted to the Air Traffic Management Center, and no authorization for the use of the airspace had been granted prior to the flight.
Findings
- The flight was conducted in violation of the established procedures for the use of airspace.
- The flight was operated without the necessary authorization or a filed flight plan.