Date & Time:
Jun 6, 1934 at 0115 LT
Type of aircraft:
Polikarpov P-5
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L787
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Moscow - Kharkiv
MSN:
5684
YOM:
1932
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
313
Aircraft flight cycles:
185
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Moscow at 2255LT on June 5 on a night mail flight to Kharkiv, carrying one pilot and a load of 728 kilos of mail. While cruising at a height of 50 metres over the valley of Oka, weather conditions deteriorated with heavy clouds, drizzle and low ceiling. After completing two turns, the pilot did not realize he lost too much altitude when the airplane impacted ground and crashed in a field located 5 km south of Optukha. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain following an error of judgement on part of the pilot regarding the aircraft's altitude during a flight through difficult weather conditions. A poor flight planning was considered as a contributing factor.
