Crash of a Lisunov LI-2T into the Barents Sea: 7 killed
Date & Time:
Sep 16, 1948 at 1917 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-N464
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Amderma - Amderma
MSN:
184 282 01
YOM:
1947
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Aircraft flight hours:
430
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a reconnaissance mission in the region of the Franz Josef archipelago. While returning to Amderma, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with strong headwind, fog and low visibility. In such conditions, the crew lost his orientation and deviated from the prescribed flight path to the west by 210 km. As fuel seemed to be insufficient to reach Amderma under these conditions, the captain decided to divert to Novaya Zemlya, but failed to regain orientation and missed Novaya Zemlya while flying through the Kara Straits. After being in the air for 15 hours and 12 minutes, the aircraft ran out of fuel. The crew prepared for a ditching in high seas in the Barents Sea between Varandei island, Matveyev Island and Cape Medynski Zavorot by night. An empty dinghy was found few days later but no trace of the seven crew members nor the aircraft that was lost. It was determined that the crew was able to evacuate the cabin but probably did not survive to the extreme outside conditions. Investigators did not understand why the operator and the pilots decided to perform such mission in such conditions with this type of aircraft that was not suitable for this.
