Moscow

Prior to takeoff from Leningrad, the pilot was informed about weather conditions and instructed to fly not above 600 metres. The airplane departed Leningrad Airport at 1320LT on a mail flight to Moscow with two crew members on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot was forced to return due to an oil leak on the right tank. After repairs, the airplane took off again at 1435LT. The pilot continued at an altitude of 500-600 metres when the airplane entered clouds. Due to turbulence, the pilot decided to climb until 2,500 metres then 3,000 metres. Later, while descending, the airplane' speed increased from 270 km/h to 400 km/h and it became unstable. The flight engineer has been shaken from left to right and tried to get a radio contact with the pilot. As this was unsuccessful, he abandoned the airplane and bailed out. He was later found uninjured. The airplane continued its descent and the pilot also attempted to bail out but this was too late. His parachute failed to open in time and he was killed. The airplane crashed in a wooded area located in Oktyabrskaya, some 100 km east of Leningrad and was destroyed.

The crew was completing a mail flight from Moscow to Almaty. En route, weather deteriorated with icing conditions, causing the windshield to be covered by ice and frost. To land at Kuybyshev Airport, the pilot was forced to put his head out of the cockpit, but doing so, he missed the runway. After touchdown, the airplane skidded off runway and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was destroyed.

The airplane departed Stalingrad at 1647LT on a mail flight to Moscow, carrying three crew members and a load of 113 kg of mail. After takeoff, the airplane entered clouds and continued his course to the northwest. After flying a distance of about 350 km, while cruising at an altitude of 4,000 metres in clouds, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a field at a speed of 750-800 km/h. All three occupants were killed.

The airplane departed Moscow at 0605LT on a cargo flight to Mineralnye Vody with an intermediate stop in Kharkiv, carrying three crew members. The pilot continued at an altitude of 300 metres and at a speed of 290 km/h when weather conditions deteriorated with low clouds and rain falls. Without any radio contact with the ground to obtain a weather briefing, the crew continued to the south and passed over Tula at 0653LT. Shortly later, the crew encountered foggy conditions and was unable to locate his position so the captain decided to return. Flying to low in fog, the airplane impacted trees at a speed of 220 km/h and crashed into a ravine. All three crew members were killed.

The single engine airplane departed Moscow-Tushino on a local post maintenance test flight. On board were one pilot, one technician, one engineer, one guard and two firefighters from the airport. After 15 minutes of flight, the pilot initiated the approach. As he was not properly aligned, he raised the flaps but did not increase the engine power, causing the aircraft to glide the to 'slid' to the left and to descend. From a height of about 100 metres, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a field. All six occupants were killed.

After takeoff from Novosibirsk Airport, while climbing to an altitude of 850 metres, the crew realized that the water temperature on the left engine was about 100° C. The pilot decided to attempt an emergency landing and reduced his altitude. At a height of about 200 metres, the mechanic made a mistake, positioning the elevator in a wrong angle. This caused the aircraft to nose up, to stall and eventually to crash. All occupants evacuated with minor injuries and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The single engine airplane was completing a special flight from Tashkent to Moscow with an intermediate stop in Penza, carrying one passenger (a mechanic) and one pilot. Weather conditions at takeoff from Penza were excellent. About 40 minutes into the flight, these conditions deteriorated with fog. The pilot elected to gain height and climbed to the altitude of 1,400 metres when he encountered icing conditions. He decided to returned to Penza and initiated a 180 turn in the clouds when he lost control of the airplane that entered a dive. At a height of 200 metres, he regained control but lost it again at a height of 100 metres before the airplane crashed near Tambov, west of Penza. Both occupants were injured.

The aircraft departed Kharkiv on a mail flight to Moscow, carrying one pilot and a load of 400 kg of mail. About 50 minutes into the flight, the engine started to vibrate. A smell of fuel spread in the cabin and the engine caught fire. The pilot bailed out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in an open field. The pilot was burned to his legs and the aircraft was destroyed.

The crew was performing a transpolar flight from Moscow to New York with intermediate stops in Fairbanks and Chicago. While flying probably over the north part of Siberia, maybe over the Arctic Ocean, the aircraft disappeared after all radio communications ceased. Important SAR operations were initiated but were eventually suspended few weeks later as no trace of the aircraft nor the six crew members was found. Among the six aviators was the famous Soviet aviation pioneer Sigismond Levanevsky.
Crew:
Sigismond Levanevsky, captain,
Nikolai Kastanayev, second pilot,
Nikolai Galkovsky, radio operator,
Grigory Pobezhimov, flight engineer,
Nikolai Godovikov, flight engineer,
Viktor Levchenko, navigator.

En route from Bucharest to Moscow, the aircraft suffered an in-flight fire that quickly spread in the cabin. Control was lost and the airplane crashed in an open field located near Bistriţa, Transylvania. All six occupants were killed.