The aircraft was transporting a military commission headed by Deputy Chief of Staff of the RKKA, Vladimir Kirillovich Triandafillov, and was piloted by the experienced Stepan Timofeyevich Rybalchuk. Early in the morning, with fog present, Rybalchuk decided to proceed with the flight despite the poor weather conditions (reportedly due to vanity in some accounts). The flight was conducted at low altitude. In the vicinity of the Alabino platform, the plane struck trees, crashed to the ground, and was destroyed. All eight people on board—three passengers and five crew members—perished.[citation needed]
Fatalities
Passengers
Vladimir Kirillovich Triandafillov — Deputy Chief of Staff of the RKKA
Konstantin Bronislavovich Kalinovsky — Head of the Mechanization and Motorization Department of the RKKA, and author of works on the organisation and combat use of armoured forces.[1]
Mikhail Ivanovich Arkadyev (b. 1897) — Assistant to the Head of the Management Sector of the RKKA Headquarters
Crew
Stepan Timofeyevich Rybalchuk (b. 1892) — Captain
Viktor Sergeyevich Bogdanov (b. 1908) — Pilot of the Special Purpose Squad
