Helicopter Acquisition
The Robinson R-44 helicopter, registration RA-04371, was acquired by Fort-Ross LLC from the helicopter company Aerossouz CJSC on March 23, 2016, under purchase agreement No. VK-1.11-9.
Flight from Gostilitsy to Krasnoyarsk
On June 29, 2016, the pilot in command (PIC), holding a power of attorney to operate the helicopter from the owner, departed from Gostilitsy airfield in Lomonosovsky District, Leningrad Oblast, where the helicopter was based at the time. The flight route was: Gostilitsy – Nizhny Novgorod – Tatarstan – Yekaterinburg – Omsk – Tomsk Oblast – Novosibirsk Oblast – Krasnoyarsk. The PIC arrived in Krasnoyarsk on July 3, 2016.
Flight to Bogotol and Lake Shunet
Upon arrival in Krasnoyarsk, the PIC picked up the owner's representative (hereinafter passenger No. 1), who was the initiator of the said flight, and together they made another flight to the town of Bogotol in Krasnoyarsk Krai. On July 6, 2016, after resting, the PIC and passenger No. 1 departed from Bogotol to Lake Shunet, located in Shirinsky District of the Republic of Khakassia, for fishing.
Flight to Dzhoy Sosnovka and Kazyrsuk River
On July 7, 2016, after spending the night at the lake, the PIC and passenger No. 1 flew to a location near the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric station, called Dzhoy Sosnovka, where relatives and acquaintances of passenger No. 1 had arrived by automobile. After spending some time at Dzhoy Sosnovka, the PIC, passenger No. 1, and a newly joined passenger No. 2 flew to the Kazyrsuk River. The PIC selected a landing site from the air.
Communication with Air Traffic Control
After takeoff from Dzhoy Sosnovka, the PIC used the onboard radio to notify the Abakan ATC center about the flight route and planned arrival time. Upon arrival at 18:10, the PIC did not contact the Abakan ATC center to notify of the flight's completion. According to the PIC, the reason was "radio shadowing" in mountainous terrain. He had no doubts about the radio's serviceability. Note: From the PIC interview transcript: "I was confident because I checked everything. The radio was working."
Subsequent Action
The PIC left the helicopter on the field, and... [source text ends]