Incident Overview
A ferry flight from Verkhneusinskoye to Shushenskoye ended in a fatal crash when the aircraft collided with tall pine trees and crashed in a dense wooded area approximately 40 km southwest of Tanzybei. The aircraft was leased for the summer period for forest fire survey missions, and the contract ended in early October. The crew departed Verkhneusinskoye at 1605 local time and maintained regular radio contacts with their base, initially reporting good weather conditions.
Sequence of Events
While en route, at approximately the halfway point, weather conditions deteriorated. The aircraft continued cruising in clouds, and subsequently collided with tall pine trees. It crashed in a densely wooded area, bursting into flames upon impact. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. Both crew members were killed.
Probable Cause
The accident resulted from the pilot in command's loss of visual contact with ground references when entering non-VFR weather conditions, resulting in a collision with obstacles and the ground. The accident was the result of a combination of the following factors:
- The crew's unfounded decision to conduct a VFR flight along a route through mountainous terrain, without analyzing all necessary meteorological information.
- Failure to abort the flight and to return to the departure landing site when weather conditions deteriorated below established limits.
- Flight below safe altitude in conditions of limited visibility.