Country
Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A in Pushkin: 50 killed
Date & Time:
Feb 7, 1981 at 1800 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42332
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Pushkin - Khabarovsk – Vladivostok
MSN:
7 66 004 02
YOM:
1957
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
50
Circumstances:
Eight seconds after liftoff from runway 21 at Pushkin AFB, while climbing to a height of about 50 meters in light snow, the airplane banked right, overturned then crashed in a huge explosion near the airport. All 50 occupants were killed. The aircraft was carrying many of the Pacific Fleet's senior officers from Leningrad, where they had been attending meetings with the naval command, to Vladivostok, via Khabarovsk. Among the dead were 16 admirals and generals, including the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Emil Spiridonov and his wife.
Probable cause:
The investigation of the accident revealed that the crew allowed the aircraft to be improperly loaded. Evidence was uncovered that led investigators to believe that some military officers did not comply with seating assignments given by the crew and that these officers pressured the crew to make the flight in an unsafely loaded aircraft. Another factor reported by witnesses was that large rolls of paper were loaded on board and it is believed that these rolled rearward during acceleration on take off, causing the center of gravity (CofG) to shift aft of acceptable limits thereby reducing the stability of the aircraft in pitch, making it impossible for the crew to lower the nose.
Crash of a Tupolev TU-104B in Moscow: 59 killed
Date & Time:
Mar 17, 1979 at 1948 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42444
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Odessa
MSN:
9 2 10 01
YOM:
1959
Flight number:
SU1691
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
114
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
59
Captain / Total hours on type:
32.00
Aircraft flight hours:
24356
Aircraft flight cycles:
14118
Circumstances:
Five seconds after takeoff from runway 01 at Moscow-Vnukovo Airport, while in initial climb, a fire alarm activated in the cockpit panel, informing the crew about a fire in the left engine. The crew declared an emergency, continued to climb and was cleared to return. Following several turns, the crew started an approach to runway 01 by night and marginal weather conditions. On final, the airplane descended below the MDA until it struck the ground at a speed of 350 km/h and crashed in flames in a snow covered field located along a wooded area, 1,548 meters short of runway 01. 58 passengers and a stewardess were killed while 61 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the fire alarm that activated in the cockpit was false and not related to an engine fire. Analysis revealed that the temperature of the left engine compartment increased to 253° C due to the disconnection of a pipe coupled to the anti-icing system. The accident was the consequence of the combination of several wrong decisions on part of the flying crew and the following factors:
- The approach was completed by night and icing conditions in a single engine configuration,
- The total weight of the aircraft was 10,201 kg above the maximum weight allowed for landing,
- The approach was completed with a tailwind component,
- Excessive approach speed,
- Premature descent resulting in a collision with ground after passing MDA,
- Lack of crew interaction and coordination,
- The navigator failed to inform the captain about the decision height fixed at 120 meters,
- The approach was completed with the GPWS deactivated,
- The copilot failed to monitor the instruments properly, which contributed to the deviation of the airplane to the right during the last sequence until it lost altitude and impacted the ground.
- The approach was completed by night and icing conditions in a single engine configuration,
- The total weight of the aircraft was 10,201 kg above the maximum weight allowed for landing,
- The approach was completed with a tailwind component,
- Excessive approach speed,
- Premature descent resulting in a collision with ground after passing MDA,
- Lack of crew interaction and coordination,
- The navigator failed to inform the captain about the decision height fixed at 120 meters,
- The approach was completed with the GPWS deactivated,
- The copilot failed to monitor the instruments properly, which contributed to the deviation of the airplane to the right during the last sequence until it lost altitude and impacted the ground.
Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A in Almaty: 90 killed
Date & Time:
Jan 13, 1977 at 1814 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42369
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Novossibirsk – Almaty
MSN:
8 66 012 03
YOM:
1958
Flight number:
SU3843
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
82
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
90
Aircraft flight hours:
27189
Aircraft flight cycles:
12819
Circumstances:
On final approach to Almaty Airport runway 23, while at an altitude of 400 metres, the left engine caught fire. An explosion occurred and the airplane descended at a speed of 150-190 km/h and crashed in flames in a snow covered field located 3,280 metres short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all 90 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Failure of a fuel line on the left engine caused the fuel to leak and to ignite while contacting hot air coming from the heating system due to a seal failure. This also resulted in a high carbon monoxide that spread in the cabin and the cockpit. Also, a fuel pump broke away.
Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A in Kiev
Date & Time:
Dec 31, 1976
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42371
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kiev - Kiev
MSN:
9 66 014 01
YOM:
1959
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew departed Kiev-Borispol Airport for a local training mission. On final approach, while properly aligned, the airplane stalled and crashed few hundred metres short of runway. All four occupants were evacuated with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The exact date of the mishap remains unknown, somewhere in 1976.
Probable cause:
The aircraft stalled on final approach after the crew inadvertently shut down both engines.
Crash of a Tupolev TU-104B in Klushino: 73 killed
Date & Time:
Nov 28, 1976 at 1856 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42471
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Moscow - Leningrad
MSN:
0 2 12 04
YOM:
1960
Flight number:
SU2415
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
67
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
73
Aircraft flight hours:
22199
Aircraft flight cycles:
13336
Circumstances:
Following a normal takeoff roll on runway 24R, the airplane lifted off at a speed of 290 km/h with the copilot at controls. At this time, the visibility was poor due to the night and marginal weather conditions. Less than a minute later, while climbing, the airplane rolled to the right to an angle of 60-70° then the airspeed increased to 580 km/h. The captain took over control when the airplane initiated an uncontrolled descent and crashed at a speed of 620 km/h in a huge explosion near the village of Klushino, about 10 km northwest of the airport, three minutes after takeoff. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 73 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control during initial climb after the crew suffered a spatial disorientation in poor visibility due to the failure of the artificial horizon. This may be caused by the failure of the 36 volts electrical system.
Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A in Chita
Date & Time:
Jul 17, 1976
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42335
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Chita – Novosibirsk – Chelyabinsk – Moscow
MSN:
7 66 005 01
YOM:
1957
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
110
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After a long roll at Chita-Kadala Airport, the aircraft took off very late at a speed of 275 km/h. During initial climb, it struck the embankment of a railway road located 322 metres past the runway end. It crash landed in a field, slid for dozen metres then turn to the left and came to rest. Four passengers and a flight attendant were injured while 112 other occupants escaped uninjured. The aircraft was written off.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the total weight of the aircraft was 5 tons above the MTOW at the time of the accident (75,300 kilos).
Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A in Irkutsk: 24 killed
Date & Time:
Feb 9, 1976 at 0805 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42327
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Irkutsk – Novosibirsk – Sverdlovsk – Leningrad
MSN:
6 66 002 01
YOM:
1956
Flight number:
SU3739
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
104
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
24
Aircraft flight hours:
22069
Aircraft flight cycles:
10308
Circumstances:
At liftoff, the right wing dropped and the airplane rolled to the right to an angle of 70°, causing the right wing to struck the snow covered ground 129 metres to the right of the runway. Out of control, the airplane crossed a taxiway, passed behind an air Koryo TU-154 that just landed (some debris struck the TU-154) and came to rest in flames, broken in three, 232 metres further. The wreckage was found 180 metres southeast of the runway end. 78 people, among them a stewardess, were injured, 12 people were unhurt. 24 occupants were killed, 15 passengers and nine crew members.
Probable cause:
The loss of control after rotation was caused by the combination of an asymmetrical fueling and pilot errors. It was determined that there was a difference of 1,500 kg of fuel between both wing tanks; 1,500 kg more in the right wing tank than the left wing tank, causing an excessive weight in the right wing. An excessive angle of attack after rotation above the allowable values and the lack of reaction from the pilot-in-command who failed to correct the situation for a period of eight seconds, caused the aircraft to reach an excessive right roll angle of 70° and to crash.
