Flight Plan
On 28 February 2023, the crew of the Mi-8T helicopter with registration RA-25227 was scheduled to operate a regular flight (number 9551) according to the plan and flight assignment No. 323/2 issued on 27 February 2023. The route was planned as follows: Lovozero – Krasnoshchelye – Lovozero – Krasnoshchelye – Lovozero. The flight was intended to transport passengers, baggage, cargo, and mail under a contract with the administration of the Lovozersky District, Murmansk Region. The scheduled departure time was 10:10.
Crew Preparation
Between 14 October 2022 and 27 October 2022, the crew, under the guidance of the flight commander, underwent preliminary training at the Kolske subdivision (Murmashi) for flights in the designated area. The crew had pre-flight rest at home for at least 10 hours. Transportation of the crew from Murmashi to the Lovozero landing site was provided by official transport.
Pre-Flight Procedures
The crew arrived at the Lovozero landing site, the aircraft's base, at 09:00 on 28 February 2023. A pre-flight medical examination was not conducted; however, the crew was cleared for the flight by the aircraft commander's decision, which is in accordance with the requirements of FAP-128 (section 8.10.1, which states that medical examinations are not required at airfields or landing sites where no medical personnel are available, and the commander may decide on crew fitness).
At 09:20, the crew began pre-flight preparation. During this process, the aircraft commander determined that he would be the pilot flying (PF) on flights from Lovozero, while the second pilot would be PF on flights from Krasnoshchelye. This allocation is consistent with the procedures outlined in the Flight Operations Manual of Vologda Aviation Enterprise (Section 17.2, "Pre-Flight Preparation").