A Czech-made two-seat ultralight aircraft crashed into a field near the Kaunas-Garliava road. The accident took place right next to a residential house.
Pilots Vladimiras Nikonovas and Artūras Šimkus died at the site of the accident, the Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed to BNS on Tuesday. Nikonovas was 71 years old, and Šimkus was 37.
According to Tautvilė Merkevičiūtė of the Prosecutor General’s Office, all possible causes of the accident are being investigated but it was most likely caused by a malfunction or pilot’s mistake.
The ultralight aircraft took off from Kaunas’ Darius and Girėnas airfield on Monday at around 19:00 and was due to return at around 20:00, said Lukas Liekis, the chairman of the association Pilotai.lt (Pilots.lt). According to him, this was not a training flight.
“It was a two-pilot flight. Both were licensed,” he told LRT.lt
The plane that crashed on Monday was manufactured in 2021, it was under constant maintenance, and was rented.
“Every effort was made to ensure that the aircraft flew safely and that it was serviced in accordance with the regulations. It is a high-risk aircraft that is constantly maintained,” Liekis said.