Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Sovetskiy: 32 killed
Date & Time:
Nov 21, 1989 at 1728 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-46335
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Perm - Sovetskiy
MSN:
97305602
YOM:
1979
Flight number:
SU37577
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
35
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
32
Aircraft flight hours:
36861
Aircraft flight cycles:
31763
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Perm, the crew started the descent to Sovetskiy Airport and was informed about the weather conditions at destination with ceiling down to 80 meters and an horizontal visibility estimated to 2 kilometers, which was below minimums. Despite this situation, the crew decided to continue the approach and deliberately passed below the minimum descent altitude probably to establish a visual contact with the ground. On short final, the aircraft struck tree tops (25 meters high), banked right and crashed in a wooded area located 700 meters short of runway 30, about 250 meters to the right of its extended centerline, bursting into flames. Eight passengers were rescued while 32 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the accident was the consequence of a wrong approach configuration of the flying crew who decided to continue the approach in below weather minimums and passed the MDA until the aircraft contacted trees and crashed.
The following contributing factors were reported:
- Poor approach planning,
- Unsatisfactory crew interactions,
- Poor distribution of tasks among the flight crew,
- Violation of minimums,
- The crew decided to continue the approach after passing the MDA,
- The crew failed to initiate a go-around procedure.
The following contributing factors were reported:
- Poor approach planning,
- Unsatisfactory crew interactions,
- Poor distribution of tasks among the flight crew,
- Violation of minimums,
- The crew decided to continue the approach after passing the MDA,
- The crew failed to initiate a go-around procedure.
