What happened
A flight departing from Togliatti for a local skydiving mission ended in an accident over the Lunacharski region. The aircraft, a single-engine airplane, was transporting two pilots and ten skydivers at the time of the incident. During the flight, all passengers exited the plane to perform jumps; however, the operation resulted in tragedy when two individuals fell into the Volga River and subsequently drowned.
Following the loss of the passengers, the crew attempted to assist in the search and rescue efforts by navigating toward the site of the incident to guide emergency responders. During this maneuver, the aircraft descended to an insufficient altitude above the water. The plane struck the surface of the river, resulting in a crash that destroyed the single-engine airplane. Both pilots sustained injuries during the impact.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the accident occurred because the crew misjudged the altitude relative to the water's surface while attempting to point out the location of the missing persons to rescuers.