On 30 June 1971, after returing to the Earth of the capsule, the recovery team knocked on the side. There was no . Opening the hatch, they found all three men in their couches, no motion. There had dark-blue patches on their faces and trails of blood from their noses and ears. They brought them out from the capsule. Dobrovolsky was still warm. According to their reports, the reason of death was suffocation.