On August 26, 2020, a Robinson R-44 II, registration RA-04393, was conducting a series of planned flights in the Krasnodar Territory. The flight plan, which had been submitted to the Rostov zonal center of the Air Traffic Services the previous day, included legs from Shihan to Gelendzhik and Plastunka, as well as additional flights between Plastunka and the Skypark Sochi area near Krasnaya Polyana.
The pilot-in-command had arranged to operate the aircraft RA-04393 under a power of attorney from the owner, utilizing the helicopter for training purposes and flight time accumulation. Prior to the flight, the pilot performed a pre-flight inspection and found no technical issues with the aircraft. No refueling was required as sufficient AVGAS LL-100 remained from a previous flight.
During the flight, the pilot attempted to land at an air-selected landing site located in the mountains at an altitude of approximately 2,000 meters above sea level. During this landing phase, the helicopter entered an uncontrollable descent and struck the ground.
At the time of the accident, the pilot had received meteorological information for the Sochi airport and the flight route. The pilot had also self-authorized the flight's commencement due to the lack of medical support at the departure site.