Volgograd oblast | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed Myachkovo Airport on a cargo flight to Tbilisi with intermediate stops in Borisoglebsk, Astrakhan and Baku. On board were four crew members, one passenger and a load consisting of 365 kilos of mail and various goods. The crew departed Borisoglebsk at 0834LT on the leg to Astrakhan. At 0920LT, while in normal cruise, the airplane was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in the frozen river Medveditsa, near the village of Mironichev. All four occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Junkers JU.52/3mg8e near Stalingrad: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.52

Operator:

Registration:

DI+XL

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

7612

YOM:

1942

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The airplane was shot down by a Soviet fighter and crashed 10 km west of Gumrak Airport, Stalingrad. Two crew members were killed and two others became PoW.
Crew:
Obfw Lambert Mäder, pilot,
Fw Anton Kapfhammer, observer, †
Fw Heinz Hollmann, radio operator,
Ogfr Rudolf Asholt. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a Soviet fighter.

Crash of a Junkers JU.290-V1 in Pitomnik: 45 killed

Date & Time: Jan 13, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.290

Operator:

Registration:

BD+TX

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Ambulance

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

001

YOM:

1942

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Circumstances:

The four engine airplane was engaged in an evacuation mission, carrying 75 wounded soldiers and six crew members. Shortly after takeoff from Pitomnik Airfield, while climbing, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a field. Five crew members and 40 passengers were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Walter Hänig, pilot, †
Flg Robert Stiefel, flight engineer +4. †

Probable cause:

It is believed that the loading of the wounded soldiers and their stretchers at Pitomnik Airport was carried out in a hurry due to the intensity of enemy fire near the airfield. It is therefore assumed that the wounded and stretchers were placed in the cabin without being secured and that the pilot was forced to start the takeoff procedure in a relative rush, which resulted in the movement of the wounded and stretchers to the rear of the cabin, thus changing the center of gravity and putting the aircraft in a situation that the pilot was unable to control.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111 in Pitomnik: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

2959

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Circumstances:

The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances at Pitomnik Airport. The accident occurred in poor weather conditions. A crew was killed and two others were injured.
Crew:
Uffz Otto Heider, pilot,
Ogfr Johann Schönsteiner, flight engineer,
Uffz Karl-Heinz Haase, observer, †
Uffz Helmt Krämer, radio operator,
Gefr Helmut Lemke, air gunner.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111H-6 in Pitomnik: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Pitomnik - Novocherkassk

MSN:

4736

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Shortly after takeoff from Pitomnik Airfield, the airplane was shot down by the Soviet Flak and crashed. Two crew members were killed and two others were injured. The airplane was returning to base in Novocherkassk.
Crew:
Lt Heinz Fischer, pilot, †
Gefr Franz Grupp, Observer,
Uffz Oskar Kurt Waibel, radio operator, †
Uffz Josef Reindl, flight engineer.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the Soviet Flak.

Crash of a Junkers JU.52/3mg8e near Stalingrad: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 26, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.52

Operator:

Registration:

4V+CM

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

7515

YOM:

1942

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The three engine airplane was shot down by the Soviet Flak and crashed near Stalingrad. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Uffz Fritz Witte, pilot,
Ogfr Helmauth Roseman, radio operator,
Ogfr Albert Müller, mechanic,
Ogfr Hans Kaiser, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the Soviet Flak.

Crash of a Polikarpov U-2 near Tinguta: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 17, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-S3002

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

11137

YOM:

1938

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Circumstances:

The airplane was shot down by a German fighter and crashed 15 km west of Tinguta. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger, Colonel Tshernov, was killed.

Probable cause:

Shot down a German fighter.

Crash of a Yakovlev AIR-6 in Berezhnovka: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 23, 1942 at 1515 LT

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev AIR-6

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1668

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Illegal (smuggling)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Kamychyn - Berezhnovka

MSN:

7820

YOM:

1936

Location:

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Aircraft flight hours:

1543

Circumstances:

Because the Squadron Leader was not present that day, the pilot and a flight engineer departed Berezhnovka at 0830LT without permission on a flight to Kamychyn. In addition to the crew were four passengers on board: the Kamychyn President' spouse and her three children. After landing in Kamychyn, the crew was invited by the passengers to spend time in their house and they drank one liter of vodka in two hours. At 1400LT, they departed Kamychyn for a return trip to Berezhnovka. On final approach, at a height of about 200-300 metres, the pilot made successive turns and while completing a left tun to an angle of 50-60°, the left wing broke off. The airplane dove into the ground and crashed. Both crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

The cause of the crash was the destruction of the aircraft in flight due to:
- The overloading of airplane parts during the steep turn and recovery,
- The presence of an old crack in the cross-section of the fork bolt securing the left front strut up to 60% of the surface,
- The flight was carried out by an intoxicated pilot.

Crash of a Polikarpov AP near Stalingrad: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 21, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-A1160

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

14333

YOM:

1939

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Circumstances:

The airplane was carrying one pilot and one communication officer (Lt Lebedev) for Stalingrad but failed to arrive at destination. Lost without trace.

Crash of a Polikarpov SP in Anisimovka: 1 killed

Date & Time: Nov 4, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1751

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

7109

YOM:

1935

Location:

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Circumstances:

On final approach to Anisimovka Airfield, at a height of 10 metres, the airplane collided with a Soviet Air Force Yak-1 that was attempting to land on the same airfield. The SP crashed and its pilot was killed.