Republic of Karelia | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The single engine airplane departed Petrozavodsk Airport at 0920LT on a cargo flight to Pudozh, carrying one pilot and a load of 553 kg of various goods. Prior to the flight, the pilot was instructed by the chief pilot that in case of weather deterioration, he should fly around Lake Onega. Weather conditions worsened en route and the visibility was too low when the airplane crashed in a snow covered field located about 9 km south of Shala Pristan. The wreckage was found at the end of the afternoon by another pilot flying from Pudozh to Petrozavodsk. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.

Probable cause:

The accident is the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain after the pilot failed to follow the instruction from the chief pilot regarding weather deterioration. It was also reported that the pilot was relatively inexperienced in flying in poor weather conditions.

Crash of a Beriev MBR-2 in Uste Tuloksy: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 6, 1939 at 1225 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beriev MBR-2

Operator:

Registration:

14/629

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Novaya Ladoga - Novaya Ladoga

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The float plane departed Novaya Ladoga on a reconnaissance mission over Ladoga Lake. On the return trip, while cruising along the east coast of the lake, the airplane was mistakenly shot down by the pilot of a Soviet fighter and crashed three km south of Uste Tuloksy. A crew member was injured and three others were killed.
Crew:
Lt Petr A. Tsyplakov, pilot, †
S/Lt Petrov, navigator,
Cpt Sergey V. Belov, †
1st Lt Vasiliy Grishkov, gunner. †

Probable cause:

Mistakenly shot down by the pilot of a Soviet fighter

Crash of a Beriev MP-1 off Suisaari: 7 killed

Date & Time: Aug 17, 1938

Type of aircraft:

Beriev MP-1

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L2550

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Shunga – Petrozavodsk

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While approaching the destination, the float plane suffered a structural failure and started to disintegrate in the air before crashing into the Lake Onega off Suisaari. All seven occupants were killed.

Crash of a Polikarpov SP in Lake Onega: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1938

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1779

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Pudozh - Petrozavodsk

MSN:

7615

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2040

Aircraft flight cycles:

1537

Circumstances:

Due to poor weather conditions in Pudozh on April 4, the pilot was forced to pass the overnight in Pudozh and postponed his departure to Petrozavodsk to April 5. He departed Pudozh in the morning with two passengers. After passing over Shala Pristan, the airplane entered over Lake Onega when weather conditions deteriorated with heavy snow falls. Unable to fix his position, the pilot decided to return when he lost control of the airplane that crashed on the iced Lake Onega. The wreckage was found four hours later. All three occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The accident was the consequence of the following:
- The pilot decided to takeoff from Pudozh without any weather briefing;
- Poor flight preparation and assistance;
- After entering Lake Onega, weather conditions worsened and the pilot continued rather than returning to Pudozh;
- The pilot lost his bearings in poor visibility and lost control of the airplane;
- Overconfidence on part of the pilot.