VLADIVOSTOK, November 20 The cause of the crash of the An-2 plane in Chukotka was a sharp deterioration in the weather: decreased visibility and strong gusty winds, said the head of the region, Vladislav Kuznetsov.
An An-2 with a passenger and two crew members on board on November 10 stopped communicating during the route Pevek — Polyarny — Pevek. Rescuers by helicopter and all-terrain vehicle went to the last coordinates, but due to bad weather the helicopter had to be recalled. In the end, the plane was found by a search group made up of artel workers. One of the employees participating in the search said that the plane crashed into a hill at an altitude of 426 meters, the hill itself — 849 meters.
< br />“It has been preliminarily established that the light-engine aircraft was flying in flying weather. During landing, the weather conditions deteriorated sharply — visibility dropped and strong gusty winds began. According to preliminary conclusions, this was the cause of the accident,” Kuznetsov wrote in his Telegram channel.< br />
He noted that on Monday he discussed this issue with the chairman of the commission for investigating the accident of the Interstate Aviation Committee of Moscow, Roman Kostenyuk.
Kuznetsov added that at the end of the investigation, in addition to the conclusion, the commission will present recommendations for airlines to prevent such accidents.
Three on board the plane were injured, but survived. The An-2 passenger suffered soft tissue bruises and refused transportation to Anadyr. The plane captain was successfully operated on in the capital of Chukotka. One of the local artillery employees who participated in the search said that the captain of the An-2 received fractures of both legs and spent more than 10 hours in the cold waiting for help. Six artel employees found him; in a snowstorm, they climbed the hill through deep snow for five hours to find the victim.
Anesthesiologist-resuscitator at the district hospital Oleg Besprozvannykh reported that the captain of the plane was in serious condition due to open fractures of his legs and blood loss and hypothermia. Now both pilots are in satisfactory condition, the hospital noted.