On November 30, 2019, a Robinson R66, registration RA-05795, was operating a flight from the village of Abrau-Durs toward Anapa airport. The flight plan had been submitted by the captain at 04:15, with a scheduled departure time of 06:30. Data from the aircraft's Garmin GPSMAP 695 navigation system indicated several previous flights had been conducted between Krasnodar, Anapa, and Abrau-Durs over the preceding 24 hours.
During the flight, the helicopter experienced a catastrophic in-flight disintegration. The accident occurred in the settlement of Abrau-Durs, within the Krasnodar Krai region of Russia. The incident resulted in one fatality.
Investigation into the flight history revealed that the pilot had completed a flight earlier that morning at 06:36. Based on available records, it was determined that the pilot had received no more than 5.5 hours of rest at home prior to the flight. The pilot did not undergo a pre-flight medical examination, though regulations permitted the crew to self-authorize flight when departing from landing sites without medical professionals.
Contributing factors identified in the investigation included the pilot's failure to divert to an alternative airfield when weather conditions deteriorated below Visual Flight Rules (VFR) minimums. Additionally, the investigation noted the selection of flight parameters that were inappropriate for the aircraft's weight and the prevailing weather, as well as a lack of proficiency in recovering from unusual attitudes using basic instruments.