Country
Russia

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124V in Kirsanov: 63 killed

Date & Time: Aug 29, 1979 at 0026 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45038
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Odessa - Kiev - Kazan
MSN:
3 35 10 03
YOM:
1963
Flight number:
SU5484
Location:
Kirsanov
Tambov oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
58
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
63
Aircraft flight hours:
23232
Aircraft flight cycles:
18369
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Kiev-Borispol Airport at 2321LT on the second leg of a flight from Odessa to Kazan. While cruising by night at an altitude of 9,000 meters and a speed of 530 km/h, the flaps extended to an angle of 30°. The airplane entered a spin and partially disintegrated at an altitude of 4,000 meters before crashing in a field located near Kirsanov. The aircraft was totally destroyed and debris were found on a wide area. None of the 63 occupants survived the crash.
Probable cause:
It was not possible to determine the exact cause of the extension of the flaps to an angle of 30° while the aircraft was in normal cruise with the autopilot system engaged. Various analysis could not define if the extension was the result of an electrical failure or a human action, voluntary or not. The most likely cause for flap release could be moving the handle of the left pilot flap control switch to the 'down' position by an angle sufficient to trigger the switch. The design of the locking device of the ZPPM-45 switch of the left pilot and its geographical situation does not exclude the possibility of an unintentional flap release, which was revealed by a one-time check of these devices on 16 others Tupolev Tu-124 aircraft.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124Sh in Voroshilovgrad

Date & Time: Dec 31, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
53 red
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
3 35 01 05
YOM:
1963
Location:
Voroshilovgrad
Luhansk Oblast
Country:
Ukraine
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Voroshilovgrad Airport, the crew forgot to lower the undercarriage. The airplane landed on its belly, slid for few dozen meters and came to rest in flames, broken in two. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off. The exact date of the mishap remains unknown, somewhere in 1977.
Probable cause:
Belly landing after the crew forgot to lower the undercarriage on approach.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124K in Jorhat: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 5, 1977 at 1942 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
V643
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Government
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
New Delhi - Jorhat
MSN:
6 35 19 02
YOM:
1966
Location:
Jorhat
Assam
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed New Delhi-Palam Airport at 1703LT on an official flight to Jorhat-Rowriah Airport, carrying several members of the Indian Government, among them Morarji Desai, Prime Minister, P. K. Thungon, Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and John Lobo, Director of Indian Intelligence Services. On approach, the captain decided to initiate a go-around because the airplane was not properly aligned. Few minutes later, during a second attempt to land, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck tree tops, stalled and crashed in a paddy field located few hundred meters short of runway threshold. The aircraft broke in two, the cockpit was destroyed and five crew members were killed. 15 other occupants were injured.
Those killed were:
Wg Cdr Clarence Joseph D’Lima, captain,
S/Ldr Mathew Cyriac, copilot,
Wg Cdr Joginder Singh, navigator,
S/Ldr V. V. S. Sunkar, flight engineer,
F/Lt O. P. Arora, flight signaller.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124V in Moscow: 62 killed

Date & Time: Jan 3, 1976 at 1005 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45037
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Moscow - Minsk - Brest
MSN:
2 35 10 02
YOM:
1962
Flight number:
SU2003
Location:
Moscow-Vnukovo
Moscow oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
56
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
62
Aircraft flight hours:
17014
Aircraft flight cycles:
14409
Circumstances:
26 seconds after takeoff from runway 24 at Moscow-Vnukovo Airport, while climbing to a height of 200 metres, the crew retracted the landing gear and reduced the engine power to nominal value. Once the altitude of 250 metres was reached, while at a speed of 340 km/h, the airplane entered a right turn when the crew was cleared to climb to 1,500 metres. The crew failed to acknowledge this clearance when seven seconds later, the airplane entered a left turn, nosed down and crashed at a speed of 550 km/h onto a house located 5,400 meters from the runway end and 1,800 metres to the right of its extended centerline. The aircraft and the house were totally destroyed and all 61 occupants were killed as well as one people in the house. Another person on the ground was injured.
Probable cause:
It was determined that both artificial horizons failed during initial climb for undetermined reasons. The combination of this instrument failure and a limited visibility caused the pilots to suffer a spatial disorientation and then a loss of control.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124V in Vinniki: 17 killed

Date & Time: Dec 23, 1973 at 2208 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45044
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Lviv - Kiev - Kuybyshev
MSN:
3351104
YOM:
1963
Flight number:
SU5398
Location:
Vinniki
Lviv Oblast
Country:
Ukraine
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
17
Aircraft flight hours:
13476
Aircraft flight cycles:
10942
Circumstances:
Following a night takeoff from Lviv-Snilow Airport, while climbing, the crew encountered a major technical failure on the left engine that caught fire. The airplane went out of control and crashed in a huge explosion in Vinniki, about 12 km east of the airfield. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 17 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that a turbine blade located on the 1st stage of the high pressure turbine of the left engine broke off shortly after rotation, due to conception failure. Analyses revealed that the turbine blade that failed had not been the subject of a standard thermic treatment, which had the effect of reducing its resistance and its hardness that was lower than the requirements of the technical specifications. Investigators stated that the turbine blade failure caused a sudden loss of power of the left engine and several debris smashed in the turbine chamber, resulting in the rupture of a fuel line. Under pressure, the fuel leaked into the chamber and ignited while contacting various elements whose temperature was high. Under such circumstances, the flight crew was unable to maintain an adequate control of the aircraft.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124V in Karacharovo: 51 killed

Date & Time: Dec 16, 1973 at 1910 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45061
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Vilnius - Moscow
MSN:
4 35 14 06
YOM:
1964
Flight number:
SU2022
Location:
Karacharovo
Tver oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
46
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
51
Aircraft flight hours:
14903
Aircraft flight cycles:
13832
Circumstances:
The crew was cleared to descent to 5,700 meters when a technical issue occurred on the elevator trim system. The airplane entered a dive and during the descent, the captain was able to regain control at an altitude of 2,000 meters. While flying by night, the gyro failed and the pilot suffered a spatial disorientation. So he lost again control of the airplane that dove into the ground and crashed in a near vertical attitude at a speed of 900 km/h in an open field located about 480 meters from Karacharovo. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 51 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
An electrical short-circuit occurred in the elevator trim system, causing the elevator to be jammed in a down position. In such conditions, the airplane entered a dive and became uncontrollable after the gyro failed as well.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124V in Kazan

Date & Time: Nov 20, 1973
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45031
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
2 35 09 01
YOM:
1962
Location:
Kazan-Borisoglebskoye
Republic of Tatarstan
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After touchdown at Kazan-Borisoglebskoye Airport, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and came to rest few dozen meters further. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124 in Lihovka Zapolishki: 37 killed

Date & Time: Sep 2, 1970 at 1537 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45012
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Mineralnye Vody - Rostov-on-Don - Vilnius
MSN:
1 35 04 02
YOM:
1961
Flight number:
SU3630
Location:
Lihovka Zapolishki
Poltava oblast
Country:
Ukraine
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
32
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
37
Aircraft flight hours:
7504
Aircraft flight cycles:
6996
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Rostov-on-Don Airport at 1455LT and reached the assigned altitude of 8,400 meters at 1514LT. At this time, ATC instructed the crew to climb to 9,000 meters due to traffic ahead. The new altitude of 9,000 meters was reached two minutes later at 1516LT. While cruising in good weather conditions, the crew sent a brief message and mentioned the number '45' followed by a long pause. A second message was heard on the frequency with the number 'zero' then a third message with the pilot shouting the number '12'. Then the contact was definitely interrupted and the airplane entered a dive. During the descent, it reached the speed of 950 km/h and banked left to an angle of 75° before crashing in a cornfield located about 90 km from Dniepropetrovsk and 57 km from Krementchug. At impact, the airplane caused a huge crater and the accident was not survivable.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. Nevertheless, the following facts were reported:
- There was no in-flight collision,
- There was no in-flight fire prior to impact,
- No military operations were in place in that area at the time of the accident,
- Both engines were turning at idle at impact.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124V in Zurich

Date & Time: Aug 18, 1970 at 1440 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
OK-TEB
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Prague - Zurich
MSN:
4 35 15 04
YOM:
1964
Flight number:
OK744
Location:
Zurich-Kloten
Zurich
Country:
Switzerland
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
12478
Captain / Total hours on type:
593.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
8056
Copilot / Total hours on type:
58
Aircraft flight hours:
6817
Circumstances:
While descending to Zurich-Kloten Airport, the flight engineer encountered technical issues with the cabine pressure and was forced to control it manually. Focused on this problem, he failed to hear and understand the instruction of the captain to lower the gear. In such circumstances, the airplane landed on its belly on runway 16 and slid for 875 metres before coming to rest, bursting into flames. All 20 occupants were quickly evacuated and uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Apparently, the crew failed to hear the gear alarm.
Probable cause:
Belly landing caused by a crew error. The following factors were considered as contributing:
- Poor planned approach,
- Lack of crew coordination,
- Lack of crew concentration.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124V near Kilpyavr AFB: 11 killed

Date & Time: Jan 29, 1970 at 1927 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-124
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45083
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Leningrad - Murmansk
MSN:
5 35 17 06
YOM:
1965
Flight number:
SU145
Location:
Kilpyavr AFB
Murmansk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
32
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Aircraft flight hours:
7425
Aircraft flight cycles:
5854
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight by night at an assigned altitude of 8,400 meters, the crew was cleared to descent to 2,400 bound for Kilpyavr AFB near Murmansk. While in a 3° nose-down attitude, the airplane struck the snow covered slope of a hill (240 meters high), slid for 624 meters then lost its both engines and wings and came to a halt, broken in two. The wreckage was found 29,5 km from the airport and 8 km to the right of the extended centerline. Eight passengers and three crew members (the captain, the navigator and the flight engineer) were killed while 27 other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the pilot-in-command started the descent prematurely, causing the aircraft to descend below the minimum prescribed altitude. The lack of visibility caused by night and the absence of any visual reference points on the ground did not allow the crew to know his exact position and to distinguish the ground obstacles. ATC allowed the crew to perform a straight-in approach with radar control. The following factors were considered as contributing:
- Absence of an established approach procedure,
- Intermittent loss of VHF communications during the approach procedure,
- The relative inexperience of the flying crew with less than 500 flying hours on this type of aircraft.
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