What happened
During a series of transport flights moving oil field personnel between Shalkar and Yuzhnyy, an single-engine airplane was operating a leg involving a stop at Bozoy. After departing from Yuzhnyy, the crew intended to land at Bozoy; however, because no passengers were waiting at that location, the decision was made to proceed with a rapid departure.
While flying at a low altitude in conditions of restricted visibility, the aircraft collided with a radio mast measuring 160 meters in height near the Bozoy area. The impact occurred approximately 85 meters above the ground, causing the plane to become embedded in the structure. The collision resulted in three fatalities, as all occupants were ejected from the aircraft upon impact.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several critical errors and environmental factors that led to the crash. The primary cause was determined to be the crew's decision to initiate departure without verifying current weather or flight conditions.
Additional contributing elements included:
- Inadequate flight planning procedures
- Marginal meteorological conditions characterized by low cloud cover, fog patches, and poor visibility
- An unauthorized passenger being present on the aircraft
- A failure to maintain communication with Air Traffic Control (ATC)
- Maintaining an insufficient altitude during the flight phase
- A series of erroneous operational decisions