Date & Time:
Jan 15, 1971
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-95
Operator:
Registration:
31 black
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
67MRTs401
YOM:
1967
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
12
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
While completing a maritime patrol flight, the crew informed ground about an engine fire. Shortly later, in a second message, the crew confirmed the fire was extinguished. Seven minutes later, control was lost and the airplane entered a dive before crashing into the Barents Sea, off the Bear Island, south of the Svalbard Archipelago. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 12 crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the loss of control may have been caused by the loss of a propeller blade in flight that penetrated the fuselage, causing a brutal decompression.
