Crash of an Ilyushin II-76MD in Mirny: 11 killed

Date & Time: Nov 1, 2009 at 0849 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-76
Operator:
Russian Government
Registration:
RF-76801
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Positioning
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Mirny – Irkutsk – Chita
MSN:
00934 95866
YOM:
1989
Location:
Mirny
Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft departed Mirny on a positioning flight to Chita with an intermediate stop in Irkutsk, carrying four passengers and a crew of seven on behalf of the Russian Ministry of the Interior. Shortly after takeoff by night, the aircraft rolled to the right to an angle of 90° then crashed at a speed of 364 km/h some 1,893 metres past the runway end. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 11 occupants were killed. The accident occurred 59 seconds after takeoff.
Probable cause:
The day before the accident, the aircraft arrived in Mirny following a cargo flight, delivering various goods. After landing, the crew activated the electrical locking system for the rudder and the ailerons, and the 'lock on' light came on in the cockpit panel. In the morning of the accident, prior to takeoff, the crew followed the pre-takeoff checklist and deactivated the electrical locking system, but the 'lock on' light remained illuminated. Considering this as a false alarm, the captain decided to take off and proceeded with a manuel control of the ailerons. The left aileron moved normally while the right aileron got locked because of the locking mechanism. During the takeoff roll, because the four engine were not in full power mode, there was no sound alarm about the aileron locked mechanism. The aircraft deviated to the right and after lift off, it rolled to the right to angle of 8°. The pilot-in-command elected to counteract the banking but this maneuver was limited due to the right aileron locked mechanism. The aircraft continued to roll to the right to an angle of 90° until control was lost.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-154 in Irkoutsk: 125 killed

Date & Time: Jan 3, 1994 at 1207 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-154
Operator:
Registration:
RA-85656
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Irkutsk - Moscow
MSN:
89A801
YOM:
1989
Flight number:
BKL130
Location:
Irkutsk
Irkutsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
115
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
125
Circumstances:
While preparing the flight, the crew encountered technical problems with the engine n°2 and 17 minutes were necessary to start all three engines. A technical issue occurred with the starter of the engine n°2 and a warning light came on in the cockpit. The crew did not find any corrective actions in the operations manual and as he thought the warning was false, decided to take off. Four minutes after the aircraft departed Irkutsk Airport runway 12, while climbing, the starter located in the engine n°2 failed. Debris scattered around and hydraulic and fuel lines were cut. The crew declared an emergency and was cleared for an immediate return after the engine n°2 caught fire. Unfortunately, the crew was unable to extinguish the fire and the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and eventually crashed on farm buildings located about 11 km from the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 124 occupants were killed as well as one farmer. Another farmer was seriously injured.
Probable cause:
The commission found that the air starter malfunction occurred when the engine was started due to a structural element of the air conditioning system, probably a fragment of the air-to-air radiator (VVR) splitter of engine n°2, hit under the constant pressure flap. This became possible due to the lack of protection against the ingress of foreign objects from the air lines and the low operational reliability of the VVR. A constant supply of air under pressure from the engines operating at a mode close to the nominal through an open damper led to the starter not switching off and the turbine rotor spinning up to off-design speed with the alarm "Dangerous starter speed" being triggered, which was detected by the flight engineer after starting all the engines. Pressing the starter shutdown button did not turn off the alarm. There were no other signs of failure other than the operation of the warning lamp. The crew, believing that the alarm was false, made the wrong decision to take off, which was a consequence of the unwillingness to act in such a situation due to shortcomings in the regulatory documentation, information support, as well as insufficient information content of the starter's technical condition monitoring system in the cockpit. Laying the mains of all three hydraulic systems through the fire-hazardous compartment of the engine n°2 is a constructive disadvantage of the Tu-154M aircraft.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12B near Irkutsk

Date & Time: Jul 14, 1992
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-12
Operator:
Magadan Cargo Airlines (Magadanaerogruz)
Registration:
CCCP-11111
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Magadan - Irkutsk
MSN:
01 347 906
YOM:
1971
Location:
Irkutsk
Irkutsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
32700
Aircraft flight cycles:
12972
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft departed Magadan Airport on a cargo flight to Irkutsk, carrying one loadmaster, six crew members and a load of 11 tons of fish. For financial reasons, the crew refused to make a refueling stop at Lensk Airport and decided to continue to Bratsk. Unfortunately, weather conditions worsened at Bratsk and a landing was impossible. In such conditions, the captain decided to continue to Irkutsk and later shut down both engines n°1 and 4 to save fuel. While descending to Irkutsk, both engines n°2 and 3 failed due to fuel exhaustion. The crew reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing in an open field located 48 km from Irkutsk Airport. The aircraft belly landed, slid for few dozen metres and eventually came to rest, broken in two. All seven occupants escaped uninjured.
Probable cause:
Engine failure due to fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Let L-410MU near Irkoutsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 26, 1988 at 2218 LT
Type of aircraft:
Let L-410
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-67235
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Batagay – Magan – Lensk – Kirensk – Irkutsk
MSN:
77 08 01
YOM:
1977
Location:
Irkutsk
Irkutsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew initiated the descent to Irkutsk-Intl Airport by night and was cleared to 3,000 meters then 2,100 and 1,800 meters. The crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft struck trees and crashed on the top of a hill (700 meters high) located 21 km southeast of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew descended below the minimum descent altitude following a wrong altimeter setting. At the time of the accident, the crew was very tired due to a duty time over 15 hours and 26 minutes.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R near Irkutsk

Date & Time: Jun 25, 1973
Type of aircraft:
PZL-Mielec AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-32558
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
1G104-35
YOM:
1969
Location:
Irkutsk
Irkutsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While flying at low height, the aircraft hit obstacles and crashed. There were no casualties.

Crash of an Antonov AN-10 in Mirny

Date & Time: Oct 12, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-10
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-11169
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Irkutsk - Mirny
MSN:
9 4 015 01
YOM:
1959
Location:
Mirny
Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Upon landing on a snow covered runway at Mirny Airport, the airplane went out of control, veered off runway and collided with a trench. There were no injuries among the occupant but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The thickness of the snow was 1-2 cm and the crew was not aware of the presence of trench by the runway.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12 near Ulan-Ude: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 11, 1965 at 1510 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-11337
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Tashkent – Fergana – Novosibirsk – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
MSN:
2 4 005 03
YOM:
1962
Location:
Ulan-Ude
Republic of Buryatia
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Aircraft flight hours:
4030
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Tashkent on a cargo flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with intermediate stops in Fergana, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk, carrying a load of 10,475 kilos of grapes. En route from Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk, the crew was informed about poor weather at destination and decided to divert to Ulan Ude although that airport was not suitable for such type of aircraft. While approaching from the north in marginal weather conditions, at an altitude of 1,200 meters, the airplane struck the slope of a wooded mountain located 32 km north of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and all eight occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain resulting from a crew error who mistakenly imputed wrong QNH setting for the approach. Lack of visibility and poor flight preparation were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A near Krasnoyarsk: 84 killed

Date & Time: Jun 30, 1962 at 2053 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-104
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42370
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Khabarovsk – Irkutsk – Omsk – Moscow
MSN:
8 66 013 01
YOM:
22
Flight number:
SU902
Location:
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
76
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
84
Aircraft flight hours:
3726
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 9,000 meters, the copilot was able to send a short distress call and control was lost. The airplane entered a dive and the descent took about two minutes and thirty seconds before the airplane disintegrated in a wooded area located in Voznesenka, about 28 km east of the Krasnoyarsk Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 84 occupants were killed. It was later reported that all bodies shows traces of high temperature and burns.
Probable cause:
It was determined that several units of the Soviet Army Forces were involved in a training exercise in the region of Magansk and shot several ground-to-air missiles. One of them struck the left side of the airplane, penetrated the fuselage and caused a hole of 20 cm. Out of control, the airplane entered a dive and crashed.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A near Chita: 64 killed

Date & Time: Aug 15, 1958 at 2220 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-104
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L5442
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Khabarovsk – Irkutsk
MSN:
7 35 03 03
YOM:
28
Flight number:
SU004
Location:
Chita
Zabaykalsky Krai
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
58
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
64
Aircraft flight hours:
1041
Aircraft flight cycles:
401
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Khabarovsk Airport with a delay of 3 hours and 35 minutes due to poor weather conditions. En route, while cruising at an assigned altitude of 11,000 meters, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and the captain decided to gain height to avoid the low pressure area. Shortly later, while at an altitude of 12,000 meters, the airplane went out of control and nosed down. It dove into the ground and crashed by an angle of 60° nose down in a field located near Chita. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all 64 occupants were killed. Debris were scattered on a distance of about 450 meters.
Probable cause:
The accident was the result of a loss of controllability due to atmospheric turbulences while cruising at an altitude of 12,000 meters which is in excess with the flying limitations and certification of the aircraft. Due to marginal weather conditions, the flight should be cancelled or postponed. The following factors contributed to the accident:
- Poor flight preparation on part of the ground operations, flying crew and flight director,
- The flight was delayed of 3 hours and 35 minutes, causing the aircraft to fly in worse weather conditions than predicted,
- Inadequate weather forecast,
- Poor weather conditions with atmospheric turbulences,
- Lack of clear instructions concerning the aircraft operation limitations (ceiling altitude),
- Violation of standard operating procedures.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 near Aksha: 27 killed

Date & Time: Oct 1, 1957 at 1855 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1389
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Moscow – Irkutsk – Chita – Khabarovsk
MSN:
30 123
YOM:
21
Flight number:
SU011
Location:
Aksha
Zabaykalsky Krai
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
23
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
27
Aircraft flight hours:
9996
Circumstances:
While cruising by night on the leg from Irkutsk to Chita, the crew lost his orientation and requested ATC assistance, without success. The airplane deviated from the prescribed flight path to the south and due to fuel exhaustion, the crew was forced to make an emergency landing. Following three unsuccessful attempts, the captain elected a fourth landing attempt when, at an altitude of 900 meters, the airplane clip trees, continued for about 340 meters and eventually crashed in a dense wooded area. A passenger was seriously injured and later evacuated while all 27 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew failed to adhere to published procedures and did not follow the route mentioned on the flight plan because he failed to use the automatic direction finder properly. Following several mistakes and a lack of awareness, the crew failed to take the appropriate actions to establish his position. It was also considered that the ATC assistance was insufficient and inefficient.
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