What happened
During a scheduled flight originating from Batumi with an intended stopover in Poti and a final destination of Sukhumi, an engine failure occurred. Approximately ten minutes after departing Batumi Airport, the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 250 meters when the loss of power took place while positioned roughly two kilometers away from the coast.
In response to the mechanical failure, the crew executed an emergency ditching in the Black Sea. The aircraft went down in the water near a fishing boat located about 1.8 km off the coast of Cape Tsikhisdziri. During the accident, there was one fatality among the passengers, while the remaining 11 occupants were successfully pulled from the water by the nearby fishing vessel's crew.
Following the incident, the aircraft sank to the seabed. On 14 September 1966, recovery operations located and retrieved the wreckage from a depth of between 34 and 36 meters.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the primary reason for the loss of power was malfunctioning magnetos within the engine.