Crash of an Antonov AN-2 near Gorny: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jul 21, 1965 at 1310 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-01201
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Poliny Osipenko – Briakan – Komsomolsk-on-Amur – Khabarovsk
MSN:
1 68 473 13
YOM:
1956
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
7863
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Briakan, weather conditions deteriorated and the crew, instead of returning to Briakan, decided to continue. In low clouds, the airplane deviated from the prescribed flight path by 17 km to the right when, at a height of 600 meters, the airplane stuck tree tops and crashed on the slope of a mountain (1,220 metres) located near Gorny, some 65 km northwest of Khurba Airport. SAR arrived on scene one day later. A pilot was killed while all 11 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.
Probable cause:
Poor flight preparation on part of the flying crew who departed Briakan without efficient information regarding weather forecast. Also, the crew failed to return to his departure point when weather conditions worsened.