Accident Details
The aircraft was engaged in a crop spraying flight from Kursk for the kolkhoz im. Karla Marksa in the Kursk district of the Kursk region. During takeoff, the crew did not utilize the full length of the runway. The subsequent climb was too steep, resulting in a loss of speed and height. While flying low over a forest behind the airport's perimeter, the captain extended the flaps to 37°. This caused further loss of speed and height, leading to the aircraft contacting tree tops. It crashed in the forest 100 metres beyond the initial impact point, which was 1,890 metres behind the runway threshold. The aircraft caught fire and was completely burnt out.
Injuries
The copilot sustained injuries, while the captain was killed.
Probable Cause (Official Findings)
Poor flight preparation and wrong takeoff configuration on part of the pilot-in-command (captain). He failed to use the full runway length and started the rotation at an insufficient speed with an engine running too low. With flaps at 37°, this caused the airplane to adopt a nose-up attitude and a high angle of attack. The relative low experience of the copilot (90 flying hours) was considered as a contributing factor.