What happened
On the day of the incident, the Squadron Leader was absent. A pilot and a flight engineer departed from Berezhnovka at 0830 local time without permission to fly to Kamychyn. In addition to the crew, four passengers were on board: the spouse of the President of Kamychyn and her three children.
After landing in Kamychyn, the crew accepted an invitation from the passengers to stay at their residence. During this period, they consumed one litre of vodka over a span of two hours. At 1400 local time, the aircraft departed for the return trip to Berezhnovka.
During the final approach phase, at an altitude estimated between 200 and 300 metres, the pilot executed successive turns. While completing a left turn with a bank angle of 50 to 60 degrees, the left wing detached from the airframe. The aircraft subsequently dove into the ground and crashed. Both crew members were killed in the accident.
Findings
The official investigation identified several contributing factors leading to the destruction of the aircraft in flight. The primary mechanical issue was the overloading of aircraft components during the steep turn and subsequent recovery manoeuvre. Additionally, a pre-existing crack was found in the cross-section of the fork bolt securing the left front strut, which had extended to up to 60% of the surface area. A critical human factor was that the flight was conducted by an intoxicated pilot.