5 November 1946 Vnukovo aircraft crashes

In early November 1946, the Moscow region experienced very poor weather conditions. Meanwhile, the anniversary of the October Revolution was approaching, and guests from various regions of the country were invited to attend. Due to the weather, crews were forced to land at alternate airfields and wait for conditions to improve. The airport administration was given the mandatory task of ensuring the guests' arrival. As a result, on November 5, the meteorological service issued a weather forecast predicting an improvement in visibility in the airport area between 15:00 and 17:00. However, when crews, having received this forecast, flew to Moscow, the actual conditions were dense fog, which made landing difficult. Consequently, 17 aircraft found themselves simultaneously in the Vnukovo airport area. The airport management did not take measures to redirect them to alternate airfields such as Klin, Solnechnogorsk, and others.

The Lisunov Li-2 aircraft with tail number CCCP-Л4181, belonging to the Turkmen Territorial Administration of the Civil Air Fleet, was operating a cargo-passenger flight from Ashgabat. The crew consisted of Commander Zaerko V. I., co-pilot Kashenev B. A., flight engineer Safronov N. I., radio operator Parakhin, and flight attendant Obukhova N. I. Due to poor weather conditions in the Moscow region, the flight had been delayed in Voronezh for two days. During this time, all passengers, unwilling to wait for weather improvements, continued their journey to Moscow by train. On November 5, after receiving information about an improvement in weather conditions, the aircraft, without passengers, continued its flight to Moscow. However, due to the challenging weather conditions in the airport area and the high number of aircraft in the landing queue, Л4181 was forced to circle in a holding pattern for about two hours. The fuel supply on board was already low when at 18:07, permission to land was granted. The weather conditions at the time were very poor, with visibility of 300–400 meters and a cloud base of 30–50 meters. While performing a standard turn at low altitude, the Li-2 lost speed and crashed near the 34th kilometer of the Moscow-Minsk highway near the village of Yamishevo. All five people on board were killed, with the pilots and flight engineer dying on the spot and the radio operator and flight attendant succumbing to their injuries in the hospital.