Li-2 crash in Ufa

The Li-2 crash in Ufa was an aviation accident involving a Li-2 passenger aircraft of the company Aeroflot, which occurred on Saturday 9 November 1946 in Ufa, as a result of which 6 people were killed.

Crash

Li-2 aircraft L4145 of the Volga Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Kuybyshev to Sverdlovsk, and there were three passengers and four crew members on board. The flight was proceeding at an altitude of 2200 metres when, 1 hour 35 minutes after departure, the oil pressure in the left engine dropped, so it was shut down. In this situation the captain decided to make a forced landing in Ufa, but while carrying out the landing approach in cloud he deviated significantly from the pattern and found himself at an altitude of 250 metres 20—25 kilometres north-west of the airport. The crew then decided to land off-aerodrome on a site chosen beneath them; however, when the turn towards this site was begun, the machine also deviated significantly to the side and was now over the city. Deciding then to land at the airport after all, the captain moved the only operating right engine to take-off power. Operating under high load, the engine began to overheat rapidly, as a result of which its power dropped, after which the airliner began to descend over the city. The pilots then turned the machine towards the Belaya River, just so that it would not fall on the city. Flying over the bank, the aircraft, having lost height, struck trees with its wing, after which it crashed into a forest, broke up and burned. Of the seven people on board, only one survived (whether a passenger or a crew member is unknown).