 En route they stopped by Ulaanbaator, where they were greeted by Khorloogiin Choibalsan.Upon arrival in Moscow he was placed in command of the 58th Fighter Aviation Brigade, so on 16 September 1939 he flew out to Bolbasovo airfield, where the unit was located in preparation for the invasion of Poland.That night he died in a runway collision while landing an I-16 in poor visibility conditions.