Crash of a Ilyushin II-12 in Magdagachi: 6 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1952 at 1339 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1308
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Irkutsk – Chita – Magdagachi – Khabarovsk
MSN:
30014
YOM:
12
Flight number:
SU005
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
1890
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a cargo flight from Irkutsk to Khabarovsk with intermediate stops in Chita and Magdagachi, carrying a load of 2,090 kilos of various goods and mail. After a takeoff run of about 600 meters, the pilot-in-command completed the rotation and the aircraft climbed to a height of 30-40 meters when it banked right to an angle of 10-15° then up to 70°. Out of control, it plunged into the earth and crashed in a huge explosion in a field located 922 meters to the right of the extended center line, about 800 meters past the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 6 crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that a technical issue or a wrong position of the left ailerons is not ruled out. At the time of the accident, strong crosswinds and turbulence were present at the airport and may be considered as a contributory factor.

Ground accident of an Ilyushin II-12B in Prague

Date & Time: Dec 8, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OK-CBF
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
8 301 29 16
YOM:
1949
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While taxiing for takeoff, the aircraft hit an obstacle and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair and clean-up of register.
Probable cause:
Ground collision with an unknown obstacle.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Novosibirsk: 23 killed

Date & Time: Nov 17, 1951 at 1623 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1775
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Novosibirsk – Moscow
MSN:
9 301 31 12
YOM:
21
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
19
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
23
Aircraft flight hours:
2007
Circumstances:
Due to the arrival of additional passengers coming from Yakutsk, a second flight was organized from Novosibirsk to Moscow. Snow falls all day and about 15 mm of ice accumulated on all aircraft. During taxiing, an additional layer of 8 to 10 mm of snow accumulated on the airplane. The takeoff run was considered as normal and after rotation, the airplane climbed to a height of about 100 meters and then stalled and crashed in a huge explosion about 900 meters past the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 23 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the aircraft was covered by ice and snow and that the following areas were polluted and contaminated by ice and snow: leading edges, trailing edges, ailerons, wings, fuselage, tail and stabs. In such conditions, the aircraft was unable to climb in a safely manner. The following findings were pointed out:
- The crew neglected some procedures referring to the flight preparation,
- The crew failed to check the aircraft prior to departure and failed to provide an appropriate deicing procedure,
- Poor flight preparation and organisation,
- Poor weather conditions,
- Lack of appropriate measures taken to clean the aircraft before takeoff.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12P in Moscow: 3 killed

Date & Time: Mar 29, 1951 at 2057 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1313
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Moscow
MSN:
30019
YOM:
3
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
1278
Circumstances:
The airplane left Moscow-Vnukovo at 1535LT for a local test flight, carrying eight crew members, pilots and engineers. After departure, the crew lost his orientation due to poor weather conditions. At this time, the ceiling was about 100 meters with an horizontal visibility estimated between 2 and 4 km. Despite the situation, the crew continued the flight and flew over the capital city for few hours, completing the test program. Weather conditions worsened during the flight, the visibility dropped to 400 meters with fog and rain. On a night approach to runway 24, the aircraft was misaligned and the pilot in command decided to make a go around. Few minutes later, while on a second approach to land, the aircraft was too low and hit trees located 1,275 meters short of runway 24, stalled and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed and all eight occupants were seriously injured. The captain, the copilot and the flight engineer died from their injuries few hours later.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew took the decision to carry a test flight while the weather conditions were below minima. Also, a direction finder was out of service when the crew started the flight, which contributed to the loss of orientation after takeoff. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- violation of the operator procedures on part of the flying crew,
- lack of discipline on part of the flying crew,
- poor weather conditions (below minima),
- overconfidence and arrogance on part of the captain,
- violation of the published navigation rules.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 off Tuapse: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jan 9, 1951 at 1532 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1811
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Moscow – Krasnodar – Sochi
MSN:
9 301 33 10
YOM:
27
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Aircraft flight hours:
1346
Circumstances:
The aircraft left Krasnodar Airport at 1505LT bound for Sochi, carrying six crew members, two passengers and a load of mail for a total of 1,007 kilos. Twenty-one minutes later, the crew obtained the permission to descend visually to 1,800 meters and then 600 meters. While cruising at an altitude of 900 meters off Tuapse, the aircraft went into clouds when it was struck by lightning. Out of control, it dove into the Black Sea and crashed about two km off the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs' rest house located in Tuapse. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and sank by a depth of 55 meters. Some debris were found 3 to 4 weeks later, nobody survived.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the aircraft was struck by lightning while flying in an area with thunderstorm activity. Lightning struck the left rear fuel tank and an explosion occurred while contacting fuel vapors. For unknown reason, the crew has not been informed about the presence of thunderstorm and lightning in the region of Tuapse.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12P in Sverdlovsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 11, 1950 at 0210 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1706
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Khabarovsk – Omsk – Sverdlovsk – Moscow
MSN:
8 301 28 03
YOM:
0
Flight number:
SU008
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
22
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
906
Circumstances:
On the approach to land at Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport by night and foggy conditions, crew dropped below the glide path due to pilot error. Aircraft touched tree tops 900 metres behind the outer marker and 160 metres to the right of the runway's extended centerline and crashed in a meadow 220 metres further on (3,100 metres from the perimeter of the airfield). Two crew and two passengers were killed while all 23 other occupants were injured, one of them seriously.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration, poor discipline and inappropriate decisions on part of the crew who decided to continue the approach in poor visibility. In such conditions, it would be recommended to initiate a go around procedure.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Karaganda: 25 killed

Date & Time: Jul 30, 1950 at 0544 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1803
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Alma-Ata – Karaganda – Moscow
MSN:
9 301 33 02
YOM:
31
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
19
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Aircraft flight hours:
953
Circumstances:
Six minutes after takeoff from Karaganda Airport, while climbing, the crew reported to ATC that the left engine failed and obtained the permission to return. The pilot in command completed a circuit and started a descent. On final approach, while completing a last turn to the left at a height of 60 meters, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a huge explosion in a field located short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 25 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the failure on the left engine. However, it was reported that the crew already encountered technical problems with the same engine a day prior to the accident but failed to report these problems to the ground maintenance.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12P in Tbilisi: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 19, 1950 at 2208 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1340
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Tbilisi - Tbilisi
MSN:
30 046
YOM:
6
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
485
Circumstances:
On a circular training flight in Tbilisi-Alekseyevka at night with 6 unauthorized passengers on board when the trainee pilot deviated from the approach pattern and glide path, so the aircraft hit the top of a hill (175 metres but not indicated on the flight map) located some 4.8 km northwest of the airport, broke up, came to rest on the slope of the hill and caught fire. Three crew and a passenger were killed while all six other occupants were slightly injured.
Probable cause:
Pilot error.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 near Savasleyka: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 20, 1949 at 0405 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1462
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow – Kazan – Chelyabinsk – Kostanay – Karaganda
MSN:
8 302 60 4
YOM:
0
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
550
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a cargo flight from Moscow to Karaganda with intermediate stops in Kazan, Chelyabinsk and Kostanay, carrying a load of various goods consisting of an industrial furnace (765 kg), theater sets, brass tubes (1,030 kg) and electrical equipment (695 kg). While cruising by night at an altitude of 1,800 meters, the flight engineer spotted some flames coming out from the left engine. The crew made several tests and controls, the captain reduced his altitude to 1,500 meters but eventually decided to continue. About an hour later, while flying at an altitude of 3,000 meters, the left engine failed. In such conditions, the pilot was unable to maintain a safe height and the aircraft descended until it hit some tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located on the top of a hill some 22 km east of Mourom, 12 km north of Savasleyka. Three crew members were killed while a fourth was seriously injured.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine caused by the rupture of a flexible set on a hydraulic line, which prevented the engine to be properly lubricated. It was determined that the hose was improperly fixed during a maintenance performed during last April. Lack of visibility caused by night and a wrong decision on part of the crew who decided to continue the flight in such conditions after the first anomaly that occurred an hour prior to the accident remain contributing factors.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 near Kabansk: 14 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1949 at 0514 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1844
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Alma Ata – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Chita
MSN:
9 301 35 14
YOM:
27
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Aircraft flight hours:
92
Circumstances:
On the left from Irkutsk to Chita, while cruising by night at an assigned altitude of 3,000 meters, the crew encountered icing conditions and received the permission to reduce his altitude to 2,400 meters. Few minutes later, at 0512LT, the crew contacted ATC but was asked to standby because the frequency and the ATC was busy. Two minutes later, while an altitude of 1,400 meters, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed 150 meters further in a wooded area located on the slope of the Kabanya Mountain (1,479 meters high). The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 14 occupants were killed, among them probably some members of the self-proclaimed government of the East Turkestan Republic.
Probable cause:
No technical issue or findings were found with the aircraft or its equipment, instruments or components. Investigations were unable to determine the reason why the crew was flying at the altitude of 1,400 meters, below the assigned flight level. In such conditions, it was considered that the accident was caused by a controlled flight into terrain.