Date & Time:
Nov 13, 1944 at 2310 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Supply
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Stanislav - Stanislav
MSN:
184 95 06
YOM:
15
Country:
Ukraine
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
791
Circumstances:
The aircraft left Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk) Airport in the afternoon on a supply mission to soldiers based behind the German lines. Three paratroopers and 200 kilos of various goods were parachuted and then the crew returned to Stanislav. The aircraft mistakenly landed in Lvov and took off immediately for Stanislav. Upon arrival, due the night and fog, the crew was unable to locate the runway and the captain abandoned the approach four times. On the fifth attempt, he left the area and continued to the northwest at a height of 50 meters when the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located 12 km from the airport. Rescuers arrived on the scene the following morning and four occupants were evacuated while four crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the decision of the crew to leave Lvov was inappropriate and the captain's decision to attempt five approaches was thoughtless.
