What happened
On June 9, 2017, an An-28 OB-31, registration RA-0109A, was engaged in agricultural spraying operations, including the application of mineral fertilizers and spraying, under a subcontract agreement. The aircraft was being operated by a pilot who had been granted use of the aircraft via a power of attorney.
Earlier that day, the pilot completed a flight to the village of Nizhnyaya Chernavka in the Volsky district, landing on an unpaved road at 10:01. Following an inspection of the fields via vehicle alongside the head of a peasant farm, the pilot conducted seven separate flight sorties between 14:29 and 17:35, totaling 1 hour and 47 minutes of flight time. Upon the conclusion of these agricultural tasks, the pilot performed a landing in a field, utilizing a landing site identified from the air.
The investigation
Investigations into the operational context revealed that while the aircraft bore the logo of the company AgroStroyInvest, the company did not own the aircraft, nor had they installed any specialized agricultural equipment on it. The company also stated they had no knowledge of the aircraft's home base or its maintenance history. The flight operations were directed by the aircraft owner, who had contracted the pilot to perform the spraying tasks in the Novoburassky district of the Saratov region.