Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2) | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane was shot down by enemy fire and crashed south of Pechenga. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Lt Ivan Kirillovich Kedun, pilot,
Lt Grigory Stepanovich Morgunov, navigator,
Sgt Boris Alexandrovich Markov, radio operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Tupolev SB 2 near Brest: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jun 24, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

Country:

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Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances in the region of Brest, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
M/Lt Vasily Illarionovich Maryashkin, pilot,
M/Lt Viktor Alexandrovich Konovalov, navigator,
Sgt Petr Alexandrovich Shmygov, radio operator.

Crash of a Tupolev PS-41bis in Oktyabrskaya: 1 killed

Date & Time: Feb 13, 1941 at 1505 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L3505

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Leningrad - Moscow

MSN:

2/300

YOM:

1940

Location:

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Aircraft flight hours:

260

Circumstances:

Prior to takeoff from Leningrad, the pilot was informed about weather conditions and instructed to fly not above 600 metres. The airplane departed Leningrad Airport at 1320LT on a mail flight to Moscow with two crew members on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot was forced to return due to an oil leak on the right tank. After repairs, the airplane took off again at 1435LT. The pilot continued at an altitude of 500-600 metres when the airplane entered clouds. Due to turbulence, the pilot decided to climb until 2,500 metres then 3,000 metres. Later, while descending, the airplane' speed increased from 270 km/h to 400 km/h and it became unstable. The flight engineer has been shaken from left to right and tried to get a radio contact with the pilot. As this was unsuccessful, he abandoned the airplane and bailed out. He was later found uninjured. The airplane continued its descent and the pilot also attempted to bail out but this was too late. His parachute failed to open in time and he was killed. The airplane crashed in a wooded area located in Oktyabrskaya, some 100 km east of Leningrad and was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Lack of discipline on part of the pilot who disregarded the instructions related to the max altitude to respect and his decision to fly against the published procedures.

Crash of a Tupolev PS-41 in Trostyanka

Date & Time: Feb 6, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L3530

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Moscow – Kuybyshev – Almaty

MSN:

3/215

YOM:

1939

Location:

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Pax on board:

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Circumstances:

En route from Kyubyshev to Almaty, the crew encountered technical problems and attempted an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a pasture located in Trostyanka, about 70 km east of Kuybyshev. The crew was uninjured and the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Tupolev PS-41 in Kuybyshev

Date & Time: Feb 6, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L3522

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Moscow – Kuybyshev – Almaty

MSN:

15/234

YOM:

1939

Location:

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Circumstances:

The crew was completing a mail flight from Moscow to Almaty. En route, weather deteriorated with icing conditions, causing the windshield to be covered by ice and frost. To land at Kuybyshev Airport, the pilot was forced to put his head out of the cockpit, but doing so, he missed the runway. After touchdown, the airplane skidded off runway and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Tupolev SB 2 near Krasnoyarsk: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 17, 1941 at 1300 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Registration:

53/7

Flight Phase:

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Crashed in unknown circumstances near Krasnoyarsk. Three crew members were killed and a fourth was injured.
Crew:
M/Lt Vasily Arsentievich Pribytkov, pilot, †
M/Lt Alexey Ivanovich Yakovlev, navigator, †
Alexander Konstantinovich Bekhter, mechanic, †
Shust Anatoly Andreevich, radio operator.

Crash of a Tupolev PS-41 in Novoe Selo: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 9, 1940 at 1600 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L3523

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Rostov-on-Don – Sochi – Sukhumi – Kutaisi – Tbilisi

MSN:

16/214

YOM:

1938

Location:

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Aircraft flight hours:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Rostov Airport at 1500LT on a mail flight to Tbilisi with intermediate stops in Sochi, Sukhumi and Kutaisi. About 50 minutes into the flight, while cruising in stormy weather, the pilot lost control of the airplane that entered a dive, partially disintegrated in the air and crashed in a field at a speed of 600-700 km/h. Both crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

It is believed that the crew lost control of the airplane after it was struck by lightning. For unknown reasons, the crew decided to continue the flight into poor weather conditions rather than returning to Rostov.

Crash of a Tupolev PS-41 near Voronezh: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 16, 1940 at 1755 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-T3518

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Stalingrad – Moscou

MSN:

11/214

YOM:

1938

Location:

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Region:

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Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

168

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Stalingrad at 1647LT on a mail flight to Moscow, carrying three crew members and a load of 113 kg of mail. After takeoff, the airplane entered clouds and continued his course to the northwest. After flying a distance of about 350 km, while cruising at an altitude of 4,000 metres in clouds, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a field at a speed of 750-800 km/h. All three occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Due to the high degree of destruction, investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. Nevertheless, it is believed that the loss of control was probably the consequence of icing while cruising at high altitude in clouds, causing a malfunction of the instruments.

Crash of a Tupolev PS-41 in Sinegubovo: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 26, 1940 at 0708 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L3529

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Moscow – Kharkiv – Mineralnye Vody

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Moscow at 0605LT on a cargo flight to Mineralnye Vody with an intermediate stop in Kharkiv, carrying three crew members. The pilot continued at an altitude of 300 metres and at a speed of 290 km/h when weather conditions deteriorated with low clouds and rain falls. Without any radio contact with the ground to obtain a weather briefing, the crew continued to the south and passed over Tula at 0653LT. Shortly later, the crew encountered foggy conditions and was unable to locate his position so the captain decided to return. Flying to low in fog, the airplane impacted trees at a speed of 220 km/h and crashed into a ravine. All three crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain after the decision of the pilot to continue in poor visibility. His decision to return was taken too late and he was flying at an unsafe altitude. At the time of the accident, one of the engine was not functioning for reason that could not be determined, the propeller was windmilling at impact. Nevertheless, this was not considered was a contributing factor.