What happened
On March 10, 2010, a private Robinson R-44, registration RA-04163, was engaged in an unauthorized flight. The aircraft, operated by a private owner acting as pilot, departed from the settlement of Letnyaya Zolotitsa on the White Sea coast in the Arkhangelsk region, intending to fly via the village of Derevyannoye in the Republic of Karelia toward Moscow. The flight plan included one passenger, the pilot's wife.
The flight was conducted without submitting a flight plan and without obtaining permission from Air Traffic Control. Furthermore, the pilot did not maintain radio communication during the leg between Letnyaya Zolotitsa and Derevyannoye. While weather conditions at the time of departure were reported as good, the aircraft struck the snow-covered, ice-laden surface of the Kondopozhskaya Bay on Lake Onega while approaching the village of Derevyannoye.
The investigation
Investigators noted that the flight was performed without official authorization or communication with air traffic services. Eyewitness accounts indicated that the weather was favorable during the initial departure from the Arkhangelsk region.