Date & Time:
Nov 15, 1934 at 1630 LT
Type of aircraft:
Polikarpov P-5
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L786
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Irkutsk – Krasnoyarsk
MSN:
5683
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:
341
Circumstances:
The pilot, sole on board, departed Irkutsk at 1440LT on a mail flight to Krasnoyarsk. After passing over Nizhneudinsk, he encountered poor weather conditions with blizzard and heavy snow falls. He reduced his altitude to establish a visual contact with the ground and elected to return to Nizhneudinsk. At a height of about 20 metres, the airplane impacted the top of a larch tree with its right wing, continued for about 50 metres then crashed in a wooded area, bursting into flames. The pilot was killed.
Probable cause:
The accident resulted from an impact with trees while cruising at low altitude through poor visibility due to bad weather conditions. It was determined that the pilot was cleared to takeoff from Irkutsk despite the weather conditions en route were unfavorable. Also, the pilot was inexperienced in instrument flights.
