What happened
During a morning departure from Volodarka Airfield, a local flight encountered deteriorating meteorological conditions. While the weather was initially within acceptable limits for operations, visibility decreased significantly approximately 30 minutes into the mission due to the onset of fog.
As the aircraft descended over terrain covered in snow, the pilot-in-command was unable to identify the airfield. During this period of low visibility, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, which impacted the ground at a velocity of 160 km/h before sliding an additional 60 meters. The accident resulted in one fatality and one serious injury among the crew.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary cause was the pilot-in-command experiencing spatial disorientation while attempting to navigate a snow-covered landscape under limited visibility of 300 meters caused by fog. Several contributing factors were identified:
- Inadequate flight preparation prior to departure
- Actual weather conditions being more severe than the initial forecast
- The presence of fog which had not been predicted in the meteorological reports
- The decision by the crew to proceed with the flight despite unfavorable weather conditions