Crash of a Polikarpov P-5 off Khoe: 3 killed
Date & Time:
Apr 12, 1941 at 1409 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1679
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinski – Khabarovsk
YOM:
1935
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
563
Circumstances:
The single engine airplane departed Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinski on a flight to Khabarovsk, carrying two passengers, one pilot and a load of 75 kg of mail. About 14 minutes into the flight, the pilot entered an area of fog. As the visibility was poor, he reduced his altitude and descended relatively fast when he lost control of the airplane that crashed on the icy Tatar Strait, about 3 km off the village of Khoe. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The pilot made the decision to continue the flight in difficult weather conditions, which probably exacerbated the nervous tension and the illness from which he suffered. It is likely that he lost consciousness as he began the steep descent, due to the fact that he was suffering from chronic sclerotic inflammation of the meninges, which could lead to epileptic seizures with loss of consciousness. He had lost consciousness in 1940 at Okha Airport.
