Date & Time:
Sep 20, 1979 at 1933 LT
Type of aircraft:
PZL-Mielec AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-56413
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Spraying (Agricultural)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Malyushitsa – Rogotno
MSN:
1G180-57
YOM:
1978
Country:
Belarus
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
1
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
709
Aircraft flight cycles:
3633
Circumstances:
All day, the crew completed crop spraying missions for the sovkhoz (state farm) of Rogotno and flew almost 16 hours. In the evening, the crew and two unauthorized people decided to takeoff for a flight from Malyushitsa (Korelichi district of the Grodno region) to Rogotno (Dyatlovo district of the Grodno region). En route, the crew encountered below minima weather conditions due to fog when the aircraft collided with trees and crashed in flames on a hilly terrain, about 2 km SSW of Basino (Novogrudok district of the Grodno region, 22 km northwest of Malyushitsa). The accident occurred nine minutes after sunset. While a passenger was killed, all three other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
The crew decided to takeoff after sunset without clear information about weather conditions en route and was not authorized to initiate such flight. Various exams revealed that the crew was not intoxicated at the time of the accident, which was the case of the passengers.
