Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87458

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Syktyvkar – Vologda – Novgorod – Riga

MSN:

9 43 17 36

YOM:

1974

Flight number:

SU098L

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2002

Aircraft flight cycles:

1500

Circumstances:

The crew encountered poor weather conditions while approaching Novgorod Airport with fog and a visibility below minimums. On final, the crew descended below MDA when the airplane struck the roof of a printing house and crashed in flames on a small residential building (three floors) located three km short of runway. The aircraft and the building were destroyed. All six occupants as well as five people in the building were killed.

Probable cause:

Failure of the crew to adhere to the published procedure while descending below the MDA in below minima visibility. Due to fog, the crew failed to locate the runway but continued the approach instead of initiating a go-around procedure. Weather information transmitted to the crew did not reflect the truth, which was considered as a contributing factor as well as the lack of ATC assistance.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Kirov

Date & Time: Oct 6, 1975

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87328

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Kirov – Sverdlovsk

MSN:

9 33 07 30

YOM:

1973

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After takeoff, while climbing to a height of 5 meters, the landing gears were retracted when power on all three engines dropped by 70%. The captain decided to land back. The aircraft belly landed, overran, collided with various approach lights and equipments before coming to rest in flames. All 32 occupants were quickly evacuated while the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the power reduction could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that it may be caused by a wrong manipulation on part of the flight engineer was not ruled out.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Krasnovodsk: 23 killed

Date & Time: Aug 15, 1975 at 2201 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87323

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Balkan Province (Balkan welaýaty)

Schedule:

Bakou – Krasnovodsk – Ashkhabad

MSN:

9 33 02 30

YOM:

1973

Flight number:

SU053A

Location:

Krasnovodsk

Country:

Turkmenistan

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2130

Aircraft flight cycles:

1914

Circumstances:

On approach to Krasnovodsk Airport by night, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions and at an approximate altitude of 300 meters while on a distance of 5 km from the airfield, the aircraft's speed dropped from 260 km/h to 200 km/h with a rate of descent of 2,5 meters per second. The crew elected to correct this configuration but the aircraft continued to descend until it struck, at a speed of 150 km/h, a rocky cliff situated on the shore of the Caspian Sea, some 159 meters above sea level and located about 4,700 meters short of runway threshold. Upon impact, the right engine and the right wing were torn off, the aircraft bounced and then crashed in flames few dozen meters further. Two crew members and 21 passengers were killed while 15 other occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the aircraft was caught by orographic turbulence on final approach whose speed was about 30 meters per second (108 km/h). This caused the aircraft to lose altitude and speed and any correction from the flying crew was unsuccessful. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Lack of knowledge on part of the meteorologist about the characteristics of such specific climate phenomenon,
- The absence of a system able to detect such phenomenon,
- The crew inexperience in such flight conditions.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Batumi: 40 killed

Date & Time: Jul 15, 1975 at 1234 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87475

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Yerevan - Batumi

MSN:

9 44 20 37

YOM:

1974

Flight number:

SU015E

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1244

Aircraft flight cycles:

1151

Circumstances:

While completing a visual approach to Batumi Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and initiated a go around procedure. The pilot-in-command completed a first turn to the right, flew for about 1,5 km then made a turn to the left. While cruising at an altitude of 550 meters at a speed of about 300-350 km/h in a flaps and gear down configuration, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Mtirala (595 meters high) located 15 km from the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 40 occupants have been killed.

Probable cause:

ATC failed to inform the crew about the real weather conditions at Batumi Airport and the crew initiated a go around procedure in marginal weather conditions with a visibility reduced to 3 km instead of the 5 km as mentioned by ATC. In such conditions, the crew was unable to distinguish the mountain, resulting in a controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40FG in Saarbrücken

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1975 at 1714 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

D-BOBD

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Frankfurt - Saarbrücken

MSN:

9 23 03 23

YOM:

1972

Flight number:

LH1745

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was completing flight LH1745 from Frankfurt to Saarbrücken on behalf of Lufthansa. After touchdown on wet runway 27, the crew started the braking procedure but the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran and eventually collided with several trees. All 16 occupants were rescued, two passengers were slightly injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

At the time of the accident, the runway surface was wet and the braking coefficient was reduced. It was determined that only the reverse system on engine n°2 was activated. For undetermined reason, reversers on engines n°1 and 3 were not deployed. In such conditions, braking action was poor.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Zaporozhie

Date & Time: Jan 28, 1975

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87825

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Zaporozhie - Ternopol

MSN:

9 24 17 24

YOM:

1972

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was cleared of snow prior to departure but as it was snowing continuously, the aircraft was again covered by snow between the moment it was deiced and the takeoff procedure. During the takeoff roll in poor weather conditions (snowfall and poor visibility), the pilot-in-command started the rotation. The aircraft lifted off and climbed for few meters when the left wing dropped, causing the left main gear to struck the runway surface. The airplane landed back and the crew decided to attempt an emergency braking procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran and the left wing collided with the building of a meteorological post located 25 metres behind the runway threshold. All 3 crew and 14 passengers escaped unhurt.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the aircraft was contaminated with snow during the takeoff procedure and that the stabs were positioned in a -5,9° angle instead of the prescribed -3,9°.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Bukhara: 7 killed

Date & Time: Dec 14, 1974 at 1101 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87630

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Bukhara Province (Buxoro viloyati)

Schedule:

Bukhara - Samarkand

MSN:

9131119

YOM:

1971

Flight number:

SU124

Location:

Bukhara

Country:

Uzbekistan

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

3637

Aircraft flight cycles:

4595

Circumstances:

18 seconds after it started the takeoff roll, after a distance of 360 meters, while at a speed of 150 km/h, the copilot pointed out a problem with the nose gear and asked if the rudder and elevators were unlocked. At this time, the captain realized that a takeoff was not possible and instructed to abandon the takeoff procedure. Engine power was reduced and an emergency braking procedure was initiated. At this time, the aircraft's was 300 meters from the runway end at a speed of 215 km/h. 18 additional seconds elapsed from the copilot's remark. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran, rolled for 540 meters then collided with an embankment and came to rest in flames against trees. 12 occupants were injured while seven passengers were killed. The aircraft was partially destroyed by a post crash fire.

Probable cause:

It is believed that control column was blocked and a take-off was impossible in such conditions. Various technical investigations could not precisely determine the causes of this anomaly which could be consecutive either to a human error or to the malfunction of the system as a result of the presence of corrosion on connectors, which would affect the alarm of the locking system. The decision to abort the takeoff procedure was taken too late, which was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 near Kiev: 29 killed

Date & Time: May 23, 1974 at 2205 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87579

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Kiev-Zhuliany-Igor Sikorsky

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Khmelnytskyi – Kiev

MSN:

9 22 11 22

YOM:

1972

Flight number:

SU166N

Location:

Kiev oblast

Country:

Ukraine

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2368

Aircraft flight cycles:

2068

Circumstances:

On a night approach to Kiev-Zhuliany Airport, while initiating a fourth turn to join the approach path, the airplane struck the ground at a speed of 420 km/h, gear and flaps up. It crashed in a huge explosion in a field located 16 km west of the airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 29 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The crew continued the approach by night without proper settings related to the atmospheric pressure. The following contributing factors were reported:
- The airfield pressure on the captain instrument 2077 was not established,
- The selected approach procedure was not established,
- The airfield pressure on altimeters was not established,
- ATC instructions to reduce the approach speed, transmitted twice, was not respected by the crew,
- The fourth turn on final was initiated too late and only following an ATC reminder.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Rostov-on-Don: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 2, 1974 at 1410 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87398

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: