What happened
The flight came under attack from hostile forces while operating in the vicinity of Stalingrad. The airframe sustained critical damage from enemy fire, which rendered the aircraft uncontrollable. Consequently, the machine crashed into the ground. During the incident, the pilot lost their life. A passenger aboard the aircraft sustained serious injuries as a result of the impact and the preceding combat engagement.
Findings
Official investigations confirmed that the accident was caused by external hostile action. The primary factor leading to the loss of control and subsequent crash was the damage inflicted by enemy fire during the engagement.