Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R in Pushkino: 3 killed
Date & Time:
Jul 23, 1975 at 0820 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-32140
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Pushkino - Pushkino
MSN:
1G94-01
YOM:
1968
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
3885
Aircraft flight cycles:
15541
Circumstances:
The airplane was carrying two pilots and a local guide on crop spraying operations for the kolkhoz (collective farm) of "Put' Kommunizma" in the Pushkino district of Azerbaijan. While cruising at a height of 40-50 meters, the crew saw a flock of birds but it was too late. Several birds struck the engine that failed almost immediately. The crew attempted an emergency landing on a road but the aircraft came down in a cotton field some 12 km from Pushkino and caught fire. All three occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control following an in-flight collision with birds. It was determined that the birds struck the cylinders n°1, 7, 8 & 9 and also the air intake of the carburetor. This caused the engine to fail and the airplane to lose speed and altitude.
