Date & Time: Nov 13, 1971 at 0819 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-24
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-46378
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Simferopol - Kerch
MSN:
07306101
YOM:
1970
Flight number:
N-639
Country:
Ukraine
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
2
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
3020
Aircraft flight cycles:
2388
Circumstances:
The airplane was completing a flight from Simferopol to Kerch, carrying six members of the Ministry of the Interior. On approach, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with fog, clouds down to 100 meters above the ground and a visibility limited to 500 meters. On final, at a speed of 220 km/h, the pilot-in-command decided to reduced his altitude to establish a visual contact with the ground when the airplane struck a concrete block of a power line. Flying at a height of 17 meters below the runway altitude, the airplane struck a house and crashed in flames some 2,610 meters short of runway. All four crew members and two passengers were killed while five other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The crew continued the approach below the glide without visual contact with the runway and ground. The accident was caused by the combination of the following factors:
- Overestimation of the vertical speed,
- Poor altimeter monitoring,
- Possible wrong altimeter setting,
- Absence of a radar at the airport allowing ATC to monitor the aircraft's approach path,
- Low visibility due to fog,
- Lack of information regarding weather conditions at destination.