Crash of a Tupolev TU-124V in Kuybyshev: 30 killed

Date & Time: Mar 8, 1965 at 1135 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45028
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kuybyshev – Rostov-on-Don – Sochi
MSN:
2 35 08 03
YOM:
1962
Flight number:
SU513
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
30
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
30
Aircraft flight hours:
1612
Aircraft flight cycles:
1151
Circumstances:
Less than one minute after its takeoff from Kuybyshev Airport, while climbing to a height of 40-50 meters, the airplane stalled then banked left and crashed in a snow covered field located 2,300 meters past the runway end. All nine crew members and 16 passengers were killed while 14 others were seriously injured. Few hours after the crash, five of the survivors died from their injuries. At the time of the accident, the pilot-in-command was under training with an instructor (right seat).
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. Nevertheless, it is believed the loss of control was caused by the dysfunction of the attitude indicator that was probably not fully operational as the accident occurred less than two minutes after the engines have been started. The assumption that water went through the ADI, causing it to fail.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18A in Ulyanovsk: 17 killed

Date & Time: Dec 28, 1960 at 1942 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75651
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Kuybyshev - Ulyanovsk
MSN:
188 0004 05
YOM:
18
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
13
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
17
Aircraft flight hours:
144
Aircraft flight cycles:
178
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a training flight from Kuybyshev to Ulyanovsk, carrying 13 crew members (five instructors and eight pilots under supervision) and four employees of the Voronezh aircraft plant. Following an uneventful flight, the pilot started the approach and when the flaps were selected down to 40°, the airplane became unstable. From a height of 120-150 metes, it stalled and crashed in a field located 1,240 meters short of runway threshold. The airplane was destroyed and all 17 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The approach was completed in cloud and icing conditions and it is believed that the loss of control was caused by the contamination by ice of critical surfaces such as stabilizers and elevators. The combination of icing conditions and the deployment of the flaps to an angle of 40° caused the aircraft to stall and the distance between the airplane and the ground was insufficient to expect a recovery.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Kuybyshev: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 10, 1958 at 0114 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-84733
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kuybyshev - Kuybyshev
MSN:
184 323 09
YOM:
16
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a night training mission at Kuybyshev Airport. Following several circuits in the area, the crew started a new approach. After passing the inner marker, the crew continued the approach at a very low altitude (about one meter above the ground) when the airplane struck with its undercarriage the fence of a private property. It then struck two houses before crashing in a garden. Three crew members were killed while two others were seriously injured. One of the survivor died from his injuries two hours later. The aircraft was destroyed and no one on the ground was injured.
Probable cause:
It was not possible to determine the reason why the crew continued the approach at a so low altitude but the assumption that both engines failed due to fuel exhaustion was not ruled out. At the time of the accident, the engines were supplied by the rear right fuel tank that was almost empty.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Ulyanovsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 29, 1957 at 1433 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4967
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Kuybyshev – Ulyanovsk
MSN:
2 34 428 02
YOM:
6
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
6692
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a flight to Ulyanovsk to conduct aerial photography of the airplane on behalf of the UAZ factory. While approaching Ulyanovsk at an altitude of 3,000 meters, the left wing suffered a structural failure and partially detached and struck the tail. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a snow covered field located 15 km northeast of Ulyanovsk. The airplane was destroyed and all four crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Partial structural failure of the left wing for undetermined reason.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Ufa: 7 killed

Date & Time: Nov 9, 1946
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4145
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Kuybyshev – Ufa – Sverdlovsk
MSN:
184 190 03
YOM:
21
Flight number:
SU236
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Aircraft flight hours:
1470
Circumstances:
One hour and 35 minutes after its departure from Kuybyshev Airport, bound for Sverdlovsk, the oil pressure on the left engine dropped and the crew decided to shut it down and to feather the propeller. The captain decided to divert to Ufa for a safe landing but due to low clouds, he was unable to locate the airport. When the aircraft broke through the cloud layer, it was in fact above the city and when the crew increased power on the right engine, it failed because it overheat. In such conditions, the captain made a turn to leave the area and continued to the Belaya River to attempt an emergency landing. Eventually, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in flames in a wooded area near the river bank, killing all seven occupants.
Probable cause:
Wrong decision on part of the crew who cut the wrong engine after failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-15-DK in Saratov: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 13, 1945 at 1545 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L866
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Kuybyshev – Saratov
MSN:
12601
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
1056
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a cargo flight from Kuybyshev to Saratov-Razboyshchina Airport with a load of various goods for a total weight of 2,089 kilos. On approach to Saratov, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with a visibility limited to 800 metres due to fog. Despite below minima conditions, the captain decided to continue the approach and completed a last turn to join the glide when the aircraft stalled and crashed about 5 km from the airport, on the slope of the Korolyov Sad ravine, bursting into flames. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Wrong decision on part of the crew who decided to continue the approach in below minima conditions and failed to return to Kuybyshev for a safe landing. Poor flight organisation by the operations and inadequate information transmitted to the crew concerning the weather forecast which did not reflect the actual conditions.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Gorki: 6 killed

Date & Time: Feb 12, 1944 at 1202 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4068
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Gorki – Kuybyshev
MSN:
184 114 05
YOM:
15
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
107
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff, while climbing to a height of 40 meters, the aircraft stalled, banked right and crashed in a huge explosion 200 meters from the boundary fence. All six occupants were killed. The aircraft was performing a cargo flight to Kuybyshev carrying a load of various goods consisting of studs, cord and gloves.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew failed to prepare the flight properly and did not follow the pre-departure checklist. Thus, the crew did not realize that the elevator trim tabs were not set to neutral prior to takeoff and after rotation, were positioned to a positive angle of 12°, causing the aircraft to nose up and stall.

Crash of a Tupolev G-2 near Salavat: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 24, 1943 at 1010 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L3050
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Chelyabinsk – Kuybyshev
MSN:
22 183
YOM:
10
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
3499
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a cargo flight from Chelyabinsk to Kuybyshev with a load of various goods for a total weight of 2,543 kilos. About 50 minutes after its departure from Chelyabinsk Airport, while approaching the Ural mountains at an altitude of 700 meters, the crew realized he would not be able to overfly the mountain range so he made a turn to the left and slowly climbed to 1,200 meters. Few minutes later, the aircraft encountered katabatic winds, snow falls, strong winds and turbulences. As the crew was unable to maintain a safe altitude and to overfly the mountain range, the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing. At a speed of 65 km/h, he made a last turn to the left when the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in flames in a wooded area located on the slope of a mountain. Three crew members were unhurt, one was slightly injured while the female copilot was killed, apparently by a heart attack. The aircraft was partially destroyed by a post crash fire. The aircraft was a Tupolev G-2, a cargo version of the ANT-6.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Tashla: 5 killed

Date & Time: Sep 20, 1943 at 2110 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4029
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Sverdlovsk – Kuybychev
MSN:
184 62 01
YOM:
3
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
839
Circumstances:
After his departure from Sverdlovsk Airport, while on a cargo flight to Kuybyshev, the inexperienced crew made several navigational errors and the aircraft deviated from the prescribed flight path by 68 km to the northwest. As the ETA was reached, the crew thought he was at Kuybyshev and started the approach when the left engine failed. The aircraft crashed in a field located in Tashla and was destroyed. All five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
At the time of the accident, there were about 106 kilos of fuel remaining in the tanks (about 20 minutes of flight) and investigations were unable to determine why the left engine was no running at impact.

Crash of a GVF PS-84 in Ustinovo

Date & Time: Jan 25, 1942 at 1815 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L3479
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Krymskaya – Kuybychev – Molotov
MSN:
184 09 01
YOM:
1941
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
766
Circumstances:
The airplane was performing a special flight from Krymskaya to Molotov (now Perm) with an intermediate stop in Kuybyshev (now Samara). The goal of the mission was to pick up spare parts for deliver in Krymskaya. While descending to Molotov Airport at dusk, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls. As the pilot was unable to locate the airport and was forced several time to abandon the approach and to go around, he eventually attempted to land in a snow covered field located near Ustinovo, about 3,5 km southwest of the airfield. The aircraft crash landed and was damaged beyond repair. All nine occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of the combination of the following factors:
- The captain decided to continue the flight despite poor weather conditions and limited visibility due to snow falls,
- The crew was cleared for takeoff by airport authorities in Kuybyshev despite poor weather conditions,
- The weather briefing was not reflecting the true conditions.