What happened
On a scheduled flight from Novooleksiivka Airport to Kherson, a single-engine Antonov An-2 was conducting its arrival procedure when the accident occurred. The aircraft was carrying two crew members and 17 passengers, including six children. During the descent toward Kherson Airport, air traffic control notified the flight crew of military helicopter activity near the eastern side of the airfield.
As the aircraft reached the short final stage of its approach, approximately 20 to 30 meters above the ground, it experienced sudden and extreme instability. The plane executed a sharp right bank reaching a 70-degree angle, followed by violent rolling motions. This loss of control led to an aerodynamic stall, causing the aircraft to crash into flames roughly 400 meters before reaching the threshold of runway 02. The impact resulted in 14 fatalities and left five individuals with injuries. The airframe was completely destroyed.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified that the primary factor was the encounter with wake turbulence generated by a Mil Mi-6 army helicopter, which had crossed the approach path only 45 seconds before the arrival of the An-2. This sequence indicated that air traffic control did not maintain the required minimum safe separation in terms of time or distance between the two aircraft. Additionally, it was noted that the flight was operating with an excess of passengers beyond its capacity and that several occupants were not secured by seatbelts during the flight.