Background
On 10 October 2016, a Mi-8T helicopter with registration RA-22771, operated by ООО ПКАП «Дельта К» (Delta K), was conducting flights under contract No. 38/16 dated 22 August 2016 with the customer АО «СНИИГ и МС» (SNIIG and MS). The flight mission was to transport specialists and collect the customer's equipment.
Crew and Flight Details
The crew consisted of a captain, a co-pilot, and a flight engineer. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) at altitudes not lower than the safe altitude, as per flight assignment No. 624 dated 10 October 2016. The planned route was: Zeya airport – Gorny – points 206, 205, 204, 203, 202, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 – Gorny – Zeya airport.
Fuel and Weight
After landing at Zeya airport on 8 October 2016, the helicopter was refueled with 3000 liters of TS-1 jet fuel (requisition No. 015396), bringing the total fuel on board to 3400 liters, which was sufficient for the flights on 10 October 2016. A quality certificate for the fuel (No. 157 dated 15 June 2016) from the Zeya fuel storage was presented. The actual takeoff weight was 10,760 kg, with a center of gravity of +190 mm, which complied with the helicopter's flight manual and remained within operational limits.
Flight Execution
At 00:16, after passing a pre-flight medical examination, receiving a meteorological briefing, obtaining air traffic control clearance for instrument flight rules (IFR), and performing mandatory checks, the crew took off with one service passenger (a customer employee) on board. At 01:05, the crew landed at Gorny point without shutting down the engines. At 01:10, they took off again along the route with 14 service passengers on board.