Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41)

The airplane disappeared in the west part of Russia, near the front with German troops. No trace was found.

When weather conditions improved, the crew was cleared for takeoff and departed Kuybyshev Airport at 1127LT on a flight to Sverdlovsk. The pilot continued the flight at an altitude of 50 metres and once he arrived over the village of Sok-Karmala, he encountered foggy conditions. In low visibility, the airplane impacted trees, lost height and crashed 135 metres further, bursting into flames. The flight engineer was seriously injured and the pilot was killed.

The crew departed Tashkent-Yuzhny Airport on a local training flight. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the left engine failed. The crew attempted to return for an emergency landing when the airplane stalled and crashed on the laboratory of a textile factory located 2,5 km northwest of the airport, bursting into flames. Both occupants were killed and there were no casualties on the ground.

The crew was returning to his base following a mail flight. While cruising in poor visibility at night, the crew was unable to locate their airport. After a four hours-flight, the crew abandoned the airplane that crashed beyond the enemy line. Both crew members were uninjured.

The airplane departed Rostov-on-Don Airport at 0602LT on a meteorological mission over the area. While cruising at an altitude of 5,000 metres, the crew encountered an unexpected situation with the right engine. Following the advice from the mechanic, the pilot shut down the right engine then decided to return to Rostov Airport. On final approach on one engine, the airplane' speed dropped to 150 km/h then it stalled and crashed 2 km from the runway threshold. The pilot and the mechanic were injured and the meteorologist was killed.

The airplane crashed for unknown reasons while taking off from an airstrip somewhere in Russia while on a special night mission. All three crew members were rescued.

The airplane was lost without trace and probably crashed in the region of the North Front while on a supply mission.

On June 29, while on a flight from Moscow to Ternopol, the airplane was hit by ground fire and landed in Proskurov. The same day, the crew departed Proskurov for Kiev but the airplane was again hit by ground fire while approaching Kiev. The crew decided to land in a rye field near Dmytrivka. After the airplane was repaired on site, the crew attempted to take off but the airplane crashed in a swamp. Both pilots escaped uninjured and the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Prior to takeoff from Leningrad, the pilot was informed about weather conditions and instructed to fly not above 600 metres. The airplane departed Leningrad Airport at 1320LT on a mail flight to Moscow with two crew members on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot was forced to return due to an oil leak on the right tank. After repairs, the airplane took off again at 1435LT. The pilot continued at an altitude of 500-600 metres when the airplane entered clouds. Due to turbulence, the pilot decided to climb until 2,500 metres then 3,000 metres. Later, while descending, the airplane' speed increased from 270 km/h to 400 km/h and it became unstable. The flight engineer has been shaken from left to right and tried to get a radio contact with the pilot. As this was unsuccessful, he abandoned the airplane and bailed out. He was later found uninjured. The airplane continued its descent and the pilot also attempted to bail out but this was too late. His parachute failed to open in time and he was killed. The airplane crashed in a wooded area located in Oktyabrskaya, some 100 km east of Leningrad and was destroyed.

En route from Kyubyshev to Almaty, the crew encountered technical problems and attempted an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a pasture located in Trostyanka, about 70 km east of Kuybyshev. The crew was uninjured and the airplane was damaged beyond repair.