Chita-Kadala

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Okha - Chita - Novosibirsk

MSN:

0D3430

YOM:

1960

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Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

10683

Aircraft flight cycles:

5124

Circumstances:

The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Novosibirsk with intermediate stops in Okha and Chita, carrying a load consisting of three Toyota vehicles and boxes of frozen fish. While completing a turn to join the approach path, one engine failed. The crew continued the approach when, on short final, the second engine failed as well. The aircraft lost height and crashed 1,657 metres short of runway. A passenger was seriously injured while 13 other occupants were killed. Few hours later, the only survivor died from his injuries.

Probable cause:

Double engine failure on approach caused by a fuel exhaustion. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 5 tons above the max landing weight.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Chita

Date & Time: Apr 18, 1986

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87301

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

9 32 17 28

YOM:

1973

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Circumstances:

Upon landing at Chita-Kadala Airport, the right main landing gear collapsed. This caused the right wing to struck the ground and the aircraft slid several yards then veered off runway to the right and came to rest. While all 32 occupants were uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The right main landing gear collapsed upon landing after the kingpin arm of the folding brace mount failed due to manufacturing defect.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12BP near Chita: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 24, 1982

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-12

Operator:

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Circumstances:

The crew was performing a night training flight from Ukurey. One hour and 57 minutes into the flight, both engines number 1 and 2 flamed out. The crew decided to divert to Chita but 16 minutes later, both engines number 3 and 4 flamed out as well. All 7 crew members bailed out and the aircraft crashed in a field near Chita. Six crew members were rescued while the commander, Captain Valeri Dotsenko was killed as he bailed out too late.

Probable cause:

All four engines flamed out in flight because the fuel was contaminated by water.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Zeya: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 29, 1981 at 2031 LT

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87346

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Irkutsk - Chita - Zeya - Blagoveshchensk

MSN:

9 51 15 39

YOM:

1975

Flight number:

SU674

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Circumstances:

The three engine airplane was completing flight SU674 from Irkutsk to Blagoveshchensk with intermediate stops in Chita and Zeya. While approaching Zeya Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions with limited visibility (less than 2 km). On final, the GPWS warning sounded in the cockpit while the aircraft was descending below the minimum descent altitude. The pilot-in-command decided to continue the approach when the airplane struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located 350 meters short of runway threshold and 125 meters to the right of the extended centerline, bursting into flames. Two crew members and one passengers were killed while 26 other occupants were injured. Five passengers escaped uninjured.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew decided to continue the approach after passing the minimum descent altitude in below minimum visibility conditions. The crew failed to respond to the GPWS warning sound and to initiate a go-around despite the fact they did not establish a visual contact with the ground and runway. It was reported that weather conditions were worse than forecast in the bulletin transmitted to the crew and there were local patches of fog in the last segment of the approach path which was considered as contributing factors.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12 in Chita: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 3, 1980

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-12

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

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Circumstances:

Upon landing at Chita-Kadala Airport, the four engine airplane went out of control, veered off runway and crashed, bursting into flames. All six crew members were killed.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-154B-2 in Chita

Date & Time: Oct 8, 1980

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-154

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-85321

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

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Schedule:

Almaty - Barnaul - Chita - Khabarovsk

MSN:

79A321

YOM:

1979

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

174

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Chita-Kadala Airport, the aircraft was too high on the glide and the captain did not want to initiate a go-around. So, he pushed on the control column and the aircraft nosed down and struck the ground 240 meters past the runway 11 threshold. Upon impact, the nose gear was torn off. The aircraft continued for few hundred meters then veered off runway to the right and came to rest in flames in a grassy area, broken in two. All 184 occupants were rescued, among them four were injured. The aircraft

Probable cause:

Wrong approach configuration on part of the crew who failed to perform a go around manoeuvre while the position of the aircraft on the glide was against published procedures. The following contributing factors were reported:
- The crew made an incomplete approach briefing,
- The crew failed to follow the points mentioned on the approach charts prior to reach the approach circuit,
- The crew failed to follow the procedures related to flaps and undercarriage,
- The altitude of the aircraft over the inner marker was 1,030 meters instead of the prescribed 750 meters,
- The speed of the aircraft was 90 km/h over the prescribed approach speed,
- Wrong decisions on part of the crew,
- Poor crew coordination.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A in Chita

Date & Time: Jul 17, 1976

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-104

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-42335

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Chita – Novosibirsk – Chelyabinsk – Moscow

MSN:

7 66 005 01

YOM:

1957

Location:

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Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

110

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

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 an Ilyushin II-14M near Bagdarin: 11 killed

Date & Time: Aug 9, 1975 at 1027 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-52056

Flight Phase:

Geographical / Geophysical / Scientific

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Chita - Bagdarin

MSN:

7 34 28 04

YOM:

1957

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Aircraft flight hours:

16396

Aircraft flight cycles:

9689

Circumstances:

The airplane was engaged in a special mission on behalf of the Voyekova Geophysical Observatory, carrying a crew of five and six passengers, among them three employees of the observatory. Following a successfully mission consisting of thunderstorm observation, the crew was approaching Bagdarin when he encountered poor weather conditions with low clouds and heavy rain falls. While descending to an altitude of 600 meters in clouds, the airplane struck tree tops, stalled and crashed in flames in a wooded area located on the slope of a mountain (827 meters high), about 28 km from the Bagdarin Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 11 occupants have been killed.

Probable cause:

Poor approach planning on part of the crew who failed to follow the approved procedures and adopted a wrong approach configuration, causing the aircraft to descend to an unsafe altitude over mountainous area and in poor weather conditions. The lack of visibility due to clouds and rain was considered as a contributing factor as well as a poor ATC assistance.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-104B in Chita

Date & Time: Nov 5, 1974

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-104

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-42501

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

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