Date & Time:
Mar 12, 1942 at 1315 LT
Type of aircraft:
Polikarpov PR-5
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L3355
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Ust-Bolsheretsk – Ust-Kamchatsk – Tilichiki
MSN:
243
YOM:
1940
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
2
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
347
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Ust-Bolsheretsk on a flight to Tilichiki, carrying three crew members and two people from the Soviet Communist Party. After a flight of two hours and 30 minutes, the airplane landed in Ust-Kamchatsk where the crew passed the overnight. At the airport, the crew consumed alcohol and failed to sleep enough time. The next day, on March 12, the airplane took off at noon for Tilichiki despite the pilot was not fit. At 1241LT, the radio operator informed ground that he passed Ozernaya at an altitude of 1,500 metres. Half an hour later, while cruising in good weather conditions, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in the taiga about 22 km north of the village of Uka. The wreckage was found the next day and all five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the pilot may fall asleep or lost consciousness during flight, probably due to a lack of sleep and/or intoxication.
