What happened
In early September 2015, the pilot and his father were vacationing at the Energetik base near the Posolsky Sor bay. On the afternoon of September 11, 2015, the pilot flew his father from the Gidroplan-2 water landing site to a location in the bay selected via aerial reconnaissance. The aircraft, a Corvet-J, was fueled with 60 liters of Ai-98 fuel, with an additional 20-liter canister present in the cockpit. The takeoff weight was within the 750 kg limit, and the center of gravity was within the operational range of 21–38% MAC.
No flights were scheduled for the morning of September 12, 2015. However, the pilot's father discovered that both the pilot and the aircraft were missing from the base. Local staff reported that the aircraft had departed toward the mouth of the Selenga River with the pilot alone on board. The pilot's intended goal was to meet an acquaintance, but the meeting was not coordinated. During the flight, the pilot encountered a local resident and proposed a flight toward the Selenga River mouth. The resident, who had no prior flight experience, agreed to join the flight.
The investigation
Investigation into the flight revealed that the aircraft was operating in Class G airspace. The Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude Air Traffic Control (ATC) centers had received no notifications or flight plans regarding the operation of the Corvet-J. The aircraft's takeoff and flight path were not coordinated with any air traffic services.