Contract and Flight Plan
On July 24, 2024, ALROSA Airlines (AO Avyakompaniya ALROSA) and the Yakutia Forest Aviation Base (GBU Avialesookhrana) entered into contract No. 101 for aviation services related to forest aviation work. According to the flight assignment dated August 7, 2024, flight YM-9902 was scheduled for August 8, 2024, with the route: Suntar airfield – landing site No. 13A – Suntar airfield – landing site No. 19A – Suntar airfield – landing site No. 17A – Suntar airfield. Flights were planned to be conducted under visual flight rules (VFR). The flight plan for instrument flight rules (IFR) was submitted to the Yakutsk regional center of the Unified Air Traffic Management System on August 7, 2024, by the ALROSA Airlines dispatch service. Authorization from the air traffic management authority for IFR was obtained in a timely manner. The departure was scheduled for 05:00 UTC (14:00 local time) on August 8, 2024. The airspace along the requested route and in the vicinity of Suntar airfield (Suntar controlled airspace) is classified as Class G.
Pre-Flight Activities
On August 8, 2024, at 04:00 UTC, the crew arrived at Suntar airfield and began pre-flight preparation. The pre-flight medical examination was conducted by the aircraft commander (captain) by interviewing the crew members, which does not contradict the requirements of Federal Aviation Regulations FAP-128. Note: FAP-128 states: "8.10.1. When performing flights from aerodromes where there is no medical professional authorized to conduct medical examinations, as well as from landing sites, pre-flight medical examinations are not conducted; the decision on crew members' fitness for flight is made by the aircraft commander."
Weather Information and Aircraft Acceptance
Meteorological information on actual and forecast weather was obtained by the crew from the METAVIA2 website: weather forecast for the Nyurba air traffic control tower for sectors No. 26, 27, 28 in GAMET format, as well as METAR and TAF reports for Suntar and Nyurba aerodromes. Operational maintenance according to form OV1+OV was performed on August 8, 2024 (work order No. 2553/744 dated August 8, 2024). The aircraft was accepted by the crew from the engineering and technical staff in a serviceable condition, without any discrepancies, with an entry in the helicopter's logbook. At 04:39 UTC, the crew commenced the flight.