Flight Details
On March 14, 2016, a Robinson R-44 helicopter, registration RA-04179, operated a flight for the client AO Transneft-Ural under an aviation service contract dated December 24, 2015 (No. VP-19.16/17/USMN). The mission was to patrol the product pipeline along the route Sterlitamak – Zilair – Akyar – Orsk and back. The aircraft carried the pilot-in-command (PIC) and one service passenger; no cargo was on board. The flight was initially scheduled for 04:00 but, at the client's request, was postponed to 06:00.
Incident Sequence
The PIC departed at 06:00 for the planned route. According to the PIC's account, near the settlement of Akyar, weather conditions deteriorated and were no longer suitable for visual flight rules (VFR). Supercooled precipitation was observed. Under these conditions, the PIC decided to abort the mission and return to the departure landing site. The PIC stated that the return flight was conducted visually. While approaching the abeam of Voskresenskoye, the helicopter entered conditions that precluded continued VFR flight. During an attempted forced landing, the helicopter rolled over onto its left side.
Aftermath
The PIC reported the aviation event to the airline's flight commander and to the Ufa approach controller.