What happened
On April 8, 2011, an MD-20DI ultralight aircraft, registration RA-0904G, was conducting non-commercial flights near the settlements of Verkhnyaya Salda and Nizhnyaya Salda in the Sverdlovsk region. The aircraft was operated by a pilot accompanied by one passenger seated in the second position.
According to GPS data recovered from the pilot's device, the aircraft performed five separate flights that morning. The first flight departed from the ice of the Verkhnesaldinsky pond at 06:03, lifting off at a ground speed of approximately 70 km/h. This flight involved varying altitudes between 100m and 260m and concluded with a landing near the village of Bobrovka at 06:30.
A second flight commenced at 07:07, heading toward Lake Shaytanskoye. The aircraft took off at a ground speed of roughly 65 km/h and maintained altitudes between 260m and 300m before landing on the lake's ice surface at 07:20. The third flight began at 08:33, departing on a course of 288° and lifting off at 88 km/h. This flight included altitudes as low as 8m and ended with a landing near Bobrovka at 08:55.
The fourth flight departed at 09:01, heading toward Nizhnyaya Salda. The aircraft flew at altitudes between 150m and 250m with an average speed of 60 km/h, eventually landing on the ice of the Nizhnesaldinsky pond near the dam at 09:18. The fifth and final flight began at 10:18, involving several turns over the local area.