What happened
On April 29, 2016, an RA-0102A was being operated for agricultural spraying tasks near the settlement of Kalach-Kurtlak. The aircraft had been transported in a disassembled state via truck to a local farm earlier that April and subsequently reassembled by its owner. While the owner had intended to sell the aircraft, a third party was operating the plane for agricultural purposes without formal authorization or power of attorney from the owner.
During the fourth flight of the day, the pilot had refueled the aircraft and loaded it with chemicals. At approximately 16:04, the pilot took off to continue the spraying mission. A witness observing the field noted that the flight duration was longer than the typical 20 minutes required for such tasks, and the aircraft was no longer visible on the horizon. During the execution of a standard left turn after exiting a spray run, the aircraft struck the ground with a significant negative pitch angle. The impact resulted in one fatality, and no post-crash fire was reported.
The investigation
Investigations into the incident examined the operational status of the aircraft and the legality of the flight. It was determined that the pilot was operating the RA-0102A without the necessary permission or legal authorization from the aircraft's owner. Witnesses provided accounts regarding the flight patterns and the timing of the disappearance of the aircraft from view during the spraying process.