1 fatality

Unidentified Aircraft Disappears Over Western Russia During Special Flight (CCCP-L2597)

Russia, RussiaFlight

On May 17, 1942, a Polikarpov Po-2 (registration CCCP-L2597) operated by Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Russia, Russia in flight. One person was killed. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Source recordUpdated 2026-08-05Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft vanished without trace over western Russia while operating a special mission, resulting in the loss of the airframe and all personnel on board.

What happened

The incident involved an airplane that was conducting a special flight when it disappeared from radar contact. The crash site is located somewhere within the region of west Russia. Following the disappearance, search efforts failed to locate any debris or survivors. The aircraft was officially declared lost without trace, meaning no physical evidence of the airframe has been recovered to date.

Findings

Due to the complete absence of wreckage and the lack of a confirmed crash site, specific technical failures or operational errors could not be identified during the initial investigation phase. The primary finding remains that the aircraft vanished entirely while in flight over the specified region.