What happened
On a positioning flight from Volgograd to Kletsko-Pochtovskiy intended for agricultural spraying, two PZL-Mielec AN-2 aircraft were involved in a mid-air collision. The aircraft involved were registered as CCCP-91775 and CCML-91762.
As the flight group approached Kletsko-Pochtovskiy at an altitude of approximately 300 meters, the propeller of CCCP-91762 made contact with the left stabilizer of CCCP-91775. Following the impact, CCCP-91775 became uncontrollable and crashed into an open field situated roughly 10 km south of Kletsko-Pochtovskiy. The three individuals on board the aircraft—consisting of two pilots and one mechanic—were all killed in the crash.
The crew operating CCCP-91762 managed to perform an emergency landing approximately 2 km away from the crash site. All occupants on this second aircraft escaped the incident without injury.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the primary reason for the collision was the failure of both crews to maintain safe separation between the two aircraft. The findings also highlighted a lack of sufficient caution and inadequate attention to flight operations during the approach phase.