Accident Overview
On 23 March, a crop spraying aircraft operating over an agricultural field in Vostochnaya, approximately 70 km northeast of Krasnodar, suffered an engine failure one minute after takeoff while climbing to 30 meters. The crew attempted an emergency landing, but the aircraft stalled and crashed into Lake Bakhotinski, coming to rest upside down. The copilot escaped with minor injuries, while the captain was killed. The wreckage was recovered three days later.
Previous Engine Failure
The day before the accident, the aircraft experienced an engine failure in flight, resulting in a forced landing in a field. The carburetor was found broken and was replaced, after which an engine test run was performed.
Official Probable Cause
The accident was caused by its nosing during the emergency landing on water surface. The emergency landing was caused by the engine power loss and flameout in the air due to the destruction of the exhaust collector can type combustor and burn through of the carburetor intake valve followed by high temperature burnt gases ingestion into the engine carburetor intake. The destruction of the exhaust collector can type combustor most probably occurred on the corrosion mechanism energized in conditions of the material heat during the engine operation using motor petrol. Power factor resulted in initial crack formation most probably was caused by residual tenses in the material of manufacture origine caused during can type combustor manufacture. In accordance with the passport the latest can type combustor overhaul was performed on January 27, 2009 in "Shakhtinsky ARZ DOSSAAF" CJSC. The commission didn't find the actual confirmation of the can type combustor overhaul as the marking at the single remained label indicates that the specified section had overhaul at the plant n° 420GA in October 1983.