Accident Overview
On the last leg of a return flight to Ekimchan, a single-engine airplane departed Zlatoustovsk Airfield at 1840 local time with three passengers and a crew of two. Ten minutes after departure, weather conditions deteriorated. While cruising at an altitude of 1,434 meters in cloud, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 22 km east of Ekimchan.
Wreckage and Casualties
The wreckage was discovered two days later, 94 meters below the summit and 10 km off course. The aircraft was destroyed, and all five occupants were killed.
Official Findings
The probable cause determined by the investigation: the crew continued the flight under visual flight rules (VFR) in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and failed to see the mountain while flying in clouds. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was 10 km off course. Additionally, toxicology tests revealed that both pilots were intoxicated: the captain had an alcohol blood level of 2‰ (parts per thousand), and the copilot had 1.34‰.