Date & Time:
Jan 9, 1951 at 2248 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4359
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Lyubertsy – Kazan
MSN:
184 284 06
YOM:
1
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
1
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
3640
Circumstances:
The aircraft left Lyubertsy Airport at 1957LT on a cargo flight to Kazan, carrying five crew members, one passenger and a load of various goods for a total weight of 1,446 kilos. Weather conditions were poor with low visibility and snow falls. The descent to Kazan was started at 2233LT and the pilot in command obtained the permission to reduce his altitude to 1,200 and then 700 meters. While approaching Kazan, the crew encountered clouds and icing conditions when the windshield was covered by ice. At an altitude between 127 and 130 meters, the airplane hit the mast of a radio antenna. On impact, the right wing was sheared off and the aircraft crashed in a field about 250 meters further on. The airplane was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew decided to continue the approach in marginal weather and icing conditions with an ice covered windshield. Also, the ground assistance provided by ATC was insufficient and the radio antenna hit by the airplane was insufficiently lit. It appears that the 18 meters of the top of the antenna were not equipped with a light and only two lights were fixed on the rest of the mast.
