What happened
Following the conclusion of a summer lease intended for forest fire survey operations, an aircraft was being repositioned from Verkhneusinskoye to Shushenskoye. The flight departed Verkhneusinskoye at 16:05 local time, with the crew providing regular radio updates to their base and reporting favorable weather conditions at the start of the journey.
As the flight progressed, the weather conditions worsened significantly. While the aircraft was flying through cloud cover, it struck tall pine trees and crashed within a heavily forested region approximately 40 km southwest of Tanzybei. The impact and a subsequent fire resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. There were two fatalities among the crew.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating a ferry flight following the early termination of a seasonal contract.
- Weather deterioration during the flight led to the aircraft entering cloud cover.
- The collision with vegetation occurred while the aircraft was navigating through low visibility.