On November 28, 2018, a Mi-26T helicopter, registration RA-06029, operated by JSC 'Utair-Helicopter Services', was performing a flight route from the settlement of Pizhma to the Nauyskaya customs post and back. The mission involved transporting 17 tons of construction materials. The crew included a captain-instructor acting as the second pilot, a captain, a flight engineer, and two flight operators.
Prior to departure, the captain conducted pre-flight preparations and received weather briefings from the Khar'yaginskoye Air Traffic Control Center. The crew also reviewed weather forecasts via the 'Metavia-2' website. While the aircraft was airworthy, properly fueled, and within weight and center of gravity limits, the weather conditions at the destination eventually deteriorated.
During the flight, the captain-instructor made the decision to attempt a landing at Pizhma despite flight visibility and cloud boundaries that did not meet the requirements for night Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). The captain-instructor failed to divert to an alternate airport, such as Varandey or Naryan-Mar, as required by regulations when weather conditions dropped below IFR minimums.
During the approach under instrument meteorological conditions, the aircraft descended to a height of 40-50 meters while still 5-6 kilometers from the landing site. The crew also operated at speeds below the minimum requirement of 60 km/h. The engines remained operational until the moment of impact with the ground.