Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

The approach to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-Khalaktyrka Airport was initiated in poor weather conditions. In limited visibility due to rain falls, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when, at a height of 1,500 meters, the aircraft struck the slope of a snow covered mountain (2,310 meters high) located 35 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 37 occupants were killed.

Following an uneventful flight from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport, the crew started the descent to Klyuchi Airport when he encountered below minimum visibility due to heavy snow falls. On final approach, the aircraft descended below the glide when he struck tree tops and crashed in a wooded area. All 6 crew and 29 of the 31 passengers (conscripts) were killed.

Parked at the airport, the single engine airplane was stolen in the early morning by a drunk pilot. After takeoff, while flying at low height over the city, the pilot initiated a sharp turn to the left when the aircraft struck a pillar. Out of control, it nosed down and crashed against the facade of an office building. Upon impact, the pilot was ejected and was slightly injured while the aircraft was destroyed.

The single engine airplane departed Milkovo Airport at 1117LT bound to the south. En route, weather conditions worsened and clouds developed over the Sredinny Mountain Range. At an altitude of 2,400 meters, the airplane entered clouds while descending to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-Galaktyrka Airport. At an altitude of 2,200 meters, strong downdrafts were encountered then the airplane lost height and crashed on the north face of Mt Aag (2,230 meters high) located about 28 km northeast of Galaktyrka Airport. The burned wreckage was spotted a day later in deep snow and it was confirmed that all seven occupants were killed. Two days later, an avalanche dragged the wreckage for almost 700 meters and only the copilot's body was later found.

While approaching Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport by night on a survey flight from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the crew encountered limited visibility and marginal weather conditions. At an altitude of 850 metres, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of Mt Ostraya (910 metres high) located 12,5 km from the airport. The wreckage was found three days later. Two passengers (two hydrologists) were found alive while nine other occupants have been killed.

On the leg from Khalaktyrka to Kozyrevsk of a flight from Khalaktyrka to Esso when the crew decided to take the route over the mountains instead of the route along the valleys although the weather conditions did not allow such deviation. The aircraft entered clouds and crashed under control at a height of 1,230 metres on the slope of a mountain (1,280 metres) located in the Ganalskiye gory range, some 16 km east of Malka (Yelizovo district of Kamchatka). The airplane then slid down on the slope for 700 metres before coming to rest in the valley of the Zubastaya River. Both pilots were killed while all 11 passengers were injured (8 of them seriously). The wreckage and the survivors were found a day later, on 11JAN69.

While cruising at an altitude of 8,000 metres on the leg from Krasnoyarsk to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the crew sent a short inaudible message of two seconds. Shortly later, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and reached the vertical speed of 3,360 - 11,000 feet per minute. Once the altitude of 3,000 meters was reached on descent, the vertical speed increased from 9,850 to 24,600 feet per minute. The airplane then made a turn to the right, got inverted and partially disintegrated at an altitude of 650 meters. Debris crashed at a speed of 890 km/h in an uninhabited area located 13 km northeast of Parchum. Debris scattered on a large zone and miraculously, a passenger was found alive while 83 other occupants were killed.

Two hours after his departure from Magadan on a flight to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, while cruising by night at an altitude of 3,600 meters, the crew informed ATC that the right engine failed. The pilot was instructed to divert to Sobolevo Airport for a safe landing but he preferred to continue to the destination despite the fact the aircraft was losing altitude as the power on one engine was insufficient. The aircraft descended to 2,700 meters and the pilot was aware of the mountain en route (2,000 meters high) and estimated his altitude was sufficient (gap of about 600 meters). Few minutes later, weather conditions deteriorated with snow showers and the visibility became very limited. Henceforth at an altitude of 2,000 meters in poor visibility, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Yurshik (2,059 meters high) located about 60 km northwest of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The wreckage was found three days later, on January 4, and all 23 occupants have been killed.

After departure from Khabarovsk-Novy Airport, the crew was cleared to climb to the altitude of 4,000 meters. Once this altitude was reached, ATC cleared the crew to continue to climb to 8,000 meters. While climbing to the altitude of 4,500 meters, the copilot was able to send a brief distress call, reporting severe vibrations and that control was lost. The airplane entered a dive and eventually crashed in a 50-60° nose-down attitude in a huge explosion some 15 km southwest of the village of Kurun, some 96 km northeast of Khabarovsk. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 86 occupants were killed.

The single engine aircraft left Milkovo Airport at 1235LT on a back trip to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky with eight passengers and a crew of three on board. The crew continued the flight under VFR at an altitude estimated between 1,200 and 1,300 meters. About an hour into the flight, weather conditions deteriorated with low clouds and rain falls when the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located about 18 km northwest of Koryak. As the airplane failed to arrive in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport, SAR operations were conducted and the wreckage was found three days later in an isolated area. All 11 occupants have been killed.