Date & Time:
Oct 6, 1951 at 0950 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-G389
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Geographical / Geophysical / Scientific
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
1 13 473 05
YOM:
18
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
144
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a geophysical survey flight in the Republic of Tuva on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Geology (Ministerstvo Geologii – MinGeo). While cruising in marginal weather conditions, the single engine aircraft hit with its right main gear the top of Mt Hor-Taiga (2,618 meters high) and crashed into a ravine. The flight engineer was killed while four other occupants were injured. Two of them walked away to find help and came back a day later to evacuate the other survivors. The navigator died from his injuries 16 hours later. The aircraft, brand new, was destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the accident was caused by a poor flight preparation on part of the crew and the combination of the following factors:
- lack of crew training that failed to guarantee a sufficient flight safety level,
- lack of pilot experience in conducting geophysical survey flights,
- incomplet meteorological informations for mountainous terrain,
- absence of a flight manual and procedures regarding aerial photography missions,
- overconfidence on part of the navigator who had more than five years experience in this type of mission,
- deterioration of weather conditions during flight.
- lack of crew training that failed to guarantee a sufficient flight safety level,
- lack of pilot experience in conducting geophysical survey flights,
- incomplet meteorological informations for mountainous terrain,
- absence of a flight manual and procedures regarding aerial photography missions,
- overconfidence on part of the navigator who had more than five years experience in this type of mission,
- deterioration of weather conditions during flight.
