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Polikarpov Po-2 accident at Yelets, Russia, 25 Mar 1942 (CCCP-L2586)

Yelets, RussiaTakeoff (climb)

On March 25, 1942, a Polikarpov Po-2 (registration CCCP-L2586) operated by Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Yelets, Russia during takeoff. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Failure of the pilot who initiated the flight in the early morning without sufficient visibility and his decision to continue under VFR instead of IFR mode. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 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

Probable cause

Failure of the pilot who initiated the flight in the early morning without sufficient visibility and his decision to continue under VFR instead of IFR mode.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

The pilot departed Yelets Airport at 0520LT on a mail flight to Tchern. About six minutes later, while cruising in poor visibility due to marginal weather conditions, he lost control of the airplane that entered a dive and crashed. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Probable cause (official findings): Failure of the pilot who initiated the flight in the early morning without sufficient visibility and his decision to continue under VFR instead of IFR mode.

Related events

Same operator

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