History of the Flight
On July 31, 2015, the AN-2 aircraft registered YR-PEG was positioned on a flight field near a farm in Stăncuța commune, Brăila County, in preparation for aviochemical flights the following day. On the morning of August 1, 2015, the pilot and aeronautical technical staff were informed by the beneficiary of the aviochemical works that, due to rain in the Giurgeni area, flights would instead be conducted in the Stăncuța area near the flight field.
The aircraft was prepared accordingly: 200 liters of gasoline were defueled from the tanks, the engine was started, and operating parameters were checked per the specific diagram. Chemical substances for aerial work were loaded, and after a few minutes, the engine was restarted for takeoff. Onboard were the pilot and an aeronautical technician (passenger) who occupied the right-hand pilot seat.
Takeoff and Accident Sequence
The takeoff on a south-to-north direction was initially normal. The takeoff run was short, approximately 100 meters according to witnesses, under gusty wind from the east with increasing speed. During initial climb at a height of about 15–20 meters, the aircraft began to lean left and descend slightly. As the turn in descent continued, the bank angle increased, and the aircraft flew with the left wing at very low height above other parked aircraft near the northern end of the flight field.
Observing the aircraft's evolution and the pilot not acting to correct, the passenger instinctively tried to turn the control yoke to the right. According to his statement, he could not operate the yoke, considering it was in a blocking state of unspecified nature. With the engine still running in takeoff mode, the aircraft continued to descend, and after passing the parked aircraft, it hit the ground with the propeller and left wingtip. The impact caused the aircraft to pivot left and make hard contact with the ground. The engine stopped due to the shock. An early fire was extinguished by witnesses who arrived at the scene.
Injuries and Damage
The destruction of the cockpit and fuselage resulted in the pilot being thrown from the aircraft, suffering serious injuries. The passenger managed to exit the wreckage after recovering from shock. Both were transported to the hospital. The pilot later died due to multiple traumatic injuries; the passenger required a long hospitalization period due to injuries sustained. The aircraft was totally destroyed. No other damage occurred in the area.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable causes of the accident to be: temporary incapacitation of the pilot; use of flaps upon takeoff in conditions of deterioration/modification of weather conditions (wind direction and speed); and aircraft operation with an incomplete crew.