Donetsk

Site:

Landing (descent or approach)

Schedule:

Khmelnytskyi – Donetsk – Samara

MSN:

57302907

YOM:

1975

Flight number:

MP9437

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a cargo service from Khmelnytskyi to Samara with an intermediate stop in Donetsk. The approach was completed by night and limited visibility due to thunderstorm activity and heavy rain falls. On final, the crew failed to realize the aircraft was not properly aligned and continued the approach when the aircraft landed hard 80 metres to the left of the runway. Out of control, it rolled for few dozen metres and eventually collided with a building. The aircraft was destroyed and all five occupants were seriously injured.

Probable cause:

Poor approach planning and landing configuration on part of the crew. The aircraft was not properly aligned and its rate of descent was excessive during the last segment. This led the aircraft to land with a positive acceleration of 5,8 g.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-134A in Ivanovo: 84 killed

Date & Time: Aug 27, 1992 at 2244 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-134

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-65058

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Mineralnye Vody - Donetsk - Ivanovo

MSN:

49868

YOM:

1977

Flight number:

SU2808

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

26307

Aircraft flight cycles:

16388

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed Mineralnye Vody on a schedule service to Ivanovo with an intermediate stop in Donetsk. Following an uneventful flight, the crew initiated the descent to Ivanovo-Yuzhny Airport. The visibility was limited due to the night and poor weather conditions. On final approach, the aircraft was not properly aligned on the glide and the copilot and the navigator attempted to inform the captain about the deviation but without success. The captain continued the approach in a wrong configuration when, at a speed of 370 km/h and a rate of descent of 6 metres per second, the left wing struck a residential building. The aircraft entered a nose-down attitude and crashed 512 metres further, some 2,450 metres short of runway 29, bursting into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 84 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The accident was the consequence of a wrong approach configuration on part of the crew. The captain ignored several alerts from the copilot and the navigator and failed to initiate a go-around procedure despite the GPWS alarm sounded for about 10 seconds. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Loss of altitude control in adverse weather conditions following a premature descent,
- The crew failed to follow the published approach procedures, which resulted in the aircraft approaching the airport at an insufficient altitude and at an excessive speed,
- The 4th turn was completed too late at a distance less than calculated, which caused the aircraft to deviate from the approach path with a separation (deviation) of 1,900 metres to the right of the approach path at a distance of 8,600 metres from the runway threshold at an altitude of 500 metres,
- The captain decided to continue the approach while a landing was obviously impossible,
- A total interruption of interactions within the crew during the approach procedure, which brang the captain in a delicate situation without any assistance from the other members of the crew and causing a regular loss of the altitude control,
- The crew let the aircraft passing the admissible vertical speed during the final approach,
- Failure of the crew to initiate a go-around procedure while the Ground Proximity Warning System alarm sounded for about 10 seconds,
- Excessive corrective maneuvers on part of the captain which caused the aircraft to enter a roll angle greater than the permissible limits,
- The violation by the crew of the approach pattern was facilitated by the lack of assistance from ATC at Ivanovo Airport.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-134Sh2 near Donetsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 24, 1984 at 1834 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-134

Operator:

Registration:

01 (Red)

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Zhdanov - Vorochilovgrad

MSN:

2 35 02 02

YOM:

1972

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

3173

Aircraft flight cycles:

2370

Circumstances:

Twelve minutes after its takeoff from Zhdanov Airport (Mariupol), while cruising at an altitude of 4,200 meters on a flight to Voroshilovgrad, the crew informed ATC about stability problems while some instruments were unserviceable. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and 38 seconds later, at an altitude of 2,750 meters, it disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in a field located near Donetsk. All 3 crew members and the sole passenger (the commander of VVVAUSh) were killed.

Probable cause:

The cause of the accident was that the back-up DR-134M yaw damper power wires had been cross wired to the wrong contacts during overhaul at Chelyabinsk facilities and the damper induced yaw instead of damping it when it kicked in during severe atmospheric turbulences, overstressing the airframe after 38 seconds.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-134AK near Kurilovka: 84 killed

Date & Time: Aug 11, 1979 at 1335 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-134

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-65735

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Tashkent - Donetsk - Minsk

MSN:

1 35 14 05

YOM:

1971

Flight number:

SU7880

Location:

Kurilovka

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Country:

Ukraine

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

10753

Aircraft flight cycles:

7075

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Donetsk Airport at 1311LT on the last leg of a flight from Tashkent to Minsk. On board were 77 passengers and a crew of seven, among them all staff from the Pakhtakor Tashkent Football Team who should play against the Dynamo Minsk Team in two days. At 1317LT, another TU-134 registered CCCP-65816 entered the Kharkiv ARTCC at an altitude of 8,400 meters. In charge to complete flight SU7628 from Chelyabinsk to Kishinev via Voronezh, the aircraft was carrying 88 passengers and a crew of six. His crew requested several times the permission to climb to 9,600 meters but this was denied due to heavy traffic. Eight minutes later, CCCP-65735 entered the same ARTCC at an altitude of 5,700 meters and his crew was first cleared to climb to 7,200 meters and later to 8,400 meters. The air traffic controller miscalculated the distance and timing between both aircraft. About 90 seconds later, at an altitude at 8,400 meters but on crossing airways, both airplanes collided at an angle of 95° from each other. The right wing of CCCP-65735 struck the cockpit of CCCP-65816. Both aircraft spiralled to the ground, partially disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in fields located around the villages of Kurilovka, Nikolaevka and Elizavetovka, about 35 km northwest of Dnipropetrovsk. Debris were found on a large area and none of the 178 occupants survived the accident.

Probable cause:

The in-flight collision was the consequence of multiple errors on part of the Air Traffic Controller and his instructor in charge of the Kharkiv Southwest Sector. The following factors were reported:
- Violations of the published procedures,
- Poor assistance and negligence on part of ATC in level assignment,
- Non compliance with requirements and regulations in force on part of ATC,
- Non compliance with standard radio phraseology,
- Lack of coordination,
- Intense traffic,
- Stress situation.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24RV off Anapa: 52 killed

Date & Time: Sep 9, 1976 at 1351 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-24

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-46518

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Gomel - Donetsk - Sotchi

MSN:

37308504

YOM:

1973

Flight number:

SU7957

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

6107

Aircraft flight cycles:

4626

Circumstances:

The aircraft was completing the second leg from its Gomel - Donetsk - Sochi flight in limited visibility due to cloudy conditions when, at an altitude of 5,700 metres, it collided with an Aeroflot Yakovlev Yak-40. Registered CCCP-87772, the Yak was flying from Rostov-on-Don to Kerch with 18 people on board. Following the collision, both aircraft entered a dive and crashed into the Black Sea about 37 km south of Anapa. Both aircraft sank by a depth of about 500 metres and none of the 70 occupants survived the crash.

Probable cause:

The in-flight collision was the consequence of mistakes committed by the air traffic controller in charge of the western sector of the Krasnodar area who violated the published procedures and failed to provide the minimum separation of 600 meters required for both aircraft prior to transfer them to the Anapa sector. The lack of visibility due to significant cloud cover was considered as a contributing factor, as well as poor ATC coordination between various sectors.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14M in Kiev: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 14, 1974 at 1528 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-91515

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Calibration

Survivors:

Site:

Kiev-Zhuliany-Igor Sikorsky

Schedule:

Kiev - Donetsk - Voroshilovgrad

MSN:

1470 014 25

YOM:

1957

Location:

Kiev oblast

Country:

Ukraine

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

19892

Aircraft flight cycles:

16481

Circumstances:

The crew departed Kiev-Zhuliany Airport bound for Donetsk and Voroshilovgrad on a calibration flight. Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the pilot informed ATC about a fire on the right engine. The crew was cleared to return for an emergency landing but the situation deteriorated quickly when the airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a field located 10,8 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Failure of the right engine that caught fire during initial climb after a fuel line ruptured, maybe due to fatigue cracks or corrosion.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V in Donetsk

Date & Time: Feb 24, 1968

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-18

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-75560

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Landing (descent or approach)

MSN:

184 0077 04

YOM:

1964

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

During the takeoff roll at Donetsk Airport, the crew decided to abort for unknown reason. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2T in Donetsk: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 1, 1963 at 2127 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-63825

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Donetsk - Donetsk

MSN:

184 255 06

YOM:

1947

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

6224

Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a local night training mission at Donetsk Airport. Following five uneventful circuits, the crew started a sixth approach in limited visibility due to poor weather conditions. On final, the pilot-in-command decided to continue the descent after passing the decision height despite the fact he was unable to distinguish the runway lights when the airplane struck trees. It banked right to an angle of 20° and crashed in a field located 380 meters to the right of the approach path and 325 meters from the runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all five crew members were injured. Six days later, the captain died from his injuries.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew decided to continue the approach after passing the decision height without any visual contact with the runway light and the ground. In such conditions, the crew should abandon the approach for a go around manoeuvre. It is reported that weather conditions worsened during flight, which was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Stalino: 10 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1949 at 1052 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-12

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1381

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: