Agricultural Aircraft Crash Near Balakhta Due to Pilot Intoxication (CCCP-09154)

Incident Overview and Operational Context An aircraft was conducting a herbicide-spraying mission over agricultural fields in the Balakhta region. The flight was part of a series of rotations completed during the early morning hours. According to the source, the crew had completed eleven rotations without incident before a pause was made to refuel the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently departed for a twelfth rotation at 0825LT. During the final flight, the aircraft was operating at an altitude of approximately 100 meters when its airspeed decreased. The aircraft then entered a stall and crashed into a field located 7 kilometers west of Balakhta. Both pilots and two passengers were killed in the accident. ## Contributing Factors and Investigation Findings The official investigation determined that the aircraft stalled at a low altitude due to insufficient airspeed. The investigation also identified the consumption of alcohol by the crew as a contributing factor. The source noted that both pilots had consumed alcohol the evening and night before the accident, as well as during the refueling pause prior to the final takeoff. No specific aircraft type, registration, or operator was provided in the source material.