Mineralnye Vody

Site:

Tbilisi-Shota-Rustaveli (ex Novo Alekseyevka)

Schedule:

Leipzig - Mineralnye Vody

MSN:

9 3 469 04

YOM:

1969

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On 8 August 2013 at 1914 hrs the airplane, arriving from Stockholm, Sweden, landed at Leipzig/Halle Airport. After the landing it taxied to apron 2 to stand 207. On board the airplane were the Pilot in Command (PIC), the co-pilot, one flight engineer, one navigator, one radio operator, and two flight mechanics. The driver of the fueling vehicle stated that the airplane was refuelled between 0058 and 0121 hrs with 22,809 l fuel. The flight engineer stated that approximately at the same time the loading had occurred and was completed at about 0140 hrs. Between 2330 and 0100 hrs the airplane was loaded with 48,960 one-day-old chickens. They had a total mass of 3,061 kg. Take-off for the flight to Mineralye Vody, Russia, was planned for 0215 hrs. At 0201 hrs the engine start-up clearance was issued and the APU started. After the APU was running, engine No 1, outer left, was started. Once engine No 1 had reached idle speed the start-up for engine No 4, outer right, was begun. During engine start-up of engine No 4 the crew noticed a dull bang and the airplane jerked. The co-pilot, who monitored the APU instruments during engine start-up, had observed rotary speed oscillations and a temperature rise. A short time later the APU fire warning indication illuminated. The crew shut off the two already running engines and triggered the APU fire extinguisher system. One photo (see Appendix) shows a glaring light on the left fuselage side. At this time propellers 1 and 4 were turning; propellers 2 and 3 stood still. Video recordings show fire in the area of the left main landing gear. The co-pilot stated that the PIC had then opened the cockpit door. Flames were already visible in the cargo compartment. The PIC stated that he sent one of the flight mechanics outside for a check. He left the aircraft through the emergency exit located in the floor of the cockpit. After he had left the airplane, he immediately reported that the APU was burning. Subsequently, the three fire extinguishers located in the cockpit were handed down. In addition, the flight engineer and the second flight mechanic left the airplane; they confirmed the fire. Together the three men tried to extinguish the fire with on-board fire extinguishers. The PIC instructed the radio operator to report the situation to the tower. At 0207:45 hrs the radio operator reported the fire and requested the fire brigade. Around 0208 hrs the fire was noticed by other witnesses. They stated that the area of the left main landing gear was burning and that in this area on the left side below the fuselage some liquid leaked on to the ground. At 0208:01 hrs the tower alerted the fire station east. Half a minute later the fire station west was alerted. At 0209:00 hrs the tower announced the location of the fire. At 0212:06 hrs the first fire truck reached the airplane and undertook the first extinguishing attempt with foaming agent. The crew members evacuated the airplane through the front emergency exit located in the floor of the cockpit. Then they left the danger zone and retreated to a grassy area about 50 m in front of the airplane.

Probable cause:

The fire originated in the APU and propagated rapidly to the cargo compartment. The fire was not contained within the APU chamber. The propagation and severity of the fire were aided by the leaking fuel from the fuselage bottom tanks and the burning light metal alloy components of the APU.

Final Report:

Crash of a Tupolev TU-154B in Tbilisi: 28 killed

Date & Time: Jul 20, 1992

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-154

Operator:

Registration:

85222

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Tbilisi - Mineralnye Vody

MSN:

77A222

YOM:

1977

Location:

Tbilisi City District

Country:

Georgia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

During the takeoff roll on runway 31R at Tbilisi-Novo Alekseyevka Airport, after V1 speed, the pilot-in-command started the rotation. The nose gear lifted off and the aircraft nosed up to an angle of 6-7°. Both main landing gear failed to lift off and the aircraft continued to roll until the end of the runway. It overran, rolled 490 metres, struck the localizer antenna, continued for 190 metres and eventually crashed in a residential area, bursting into flames. The aircraft as well as nine houses were totally destroyed. All 24 occupants as well as four people on the ground were killed, 10 others were seriously injured.

Probable cause:

The aircraft was engaged in a cargo flight and was loaded with 20 tons of tea. Following violation of loading regulations on part of the ground personnel, three tons were loaded unbeknownst to the crew. Manifest and weight & balance sheet were incorrect and the aircraft was overloaded by 2 tons at the time of the accident. Also, the CofG was outside the forward limit. All 16 passengers did not have any ticket and were not authorized to embark on such commercial cargo flight.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V in Mineralnye Vody: 77 killed

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1977 at 2317 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-18

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-75520

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Tashkent - Nukus - Mineralnye Vody

MSN:

183 0067 03

YOM:

1963

Flight number:

SU5003

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

29443

Aircraft flight cycles:

10817

Circumstances:

On final approach to Mineralnye Vody Airport by night, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. At a speed of 290 km/h, flaps were deployed at an angle of 30°, causing the airspeed to drop to 260 km/h. At a distance of 1,500 metres from the runway threshold, the captain decided to initiate a go-around as he was unable to establish a visual contact with the runway. During initial climb, at an altitude of about 90 metres, the airplane entered a right turn then rolled to the right at an angle of 15-30° and adopted a critical angle of attack of 15-18°. The tail stall and the airplane crashed in flames 2 km south of the airport. A crew member and 76 passengers were killed while 21 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Failure of the crew to adopt a proper go-around configuration after a missed approach. The loss of control during initial climb was the result of a premature raise of the flaps, which caused the aircraft to reach a critical angle of attack and to stall.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Armavir

Date & Time: Dec 7, 1976

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87756

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Dnipropetrovsk - Mineralnye Vody

MSN:

9 02 01 12

YOM:

1970

Flight number:

SU929N

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

11272

Captain / Total hours on type:

2257.00

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight from Dnepropetrovsk, the crew started the approach to Mineralnye Vody Airport at dusk. Unable to distinguish the runway, the captain decided to initiate a go-around. He elected to divert to Stavropol Airport but ATC informed him that the visibility was 300 metres only (although it was in fact 700 metres which would have allowed a safe landing). The captain attempted a second approach to Mineralnye Vody but was forced to initiate a second go-around manoeuvre. This time, he decided to divert to Armavir Airport when on final, all three engines failed simultaneously due to fuel exhaustion. The captain completed an emergency landing in an orchard located 1,745 metres short of runway threshold. All 29 occupants escaped unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Failure of all three engines on final approach to Armavir Airport due to fuel exhaustion. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Poor flight planning on part of the crew who departed Dnepropetrovsk Airport with an insufficient quantity of fuel (taking into consideration two missed approach and a divert to Armavir),
- Inaccurate information provided by ATC concerning the visibility at Stavropol Airport which was not 300 metres but 700 metres and would allow the crew to land safely.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Rostov-on-Don: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 2, 1974 at 1410 LT

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87398

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Lipetsk – Rostov-on-Don – Mineralnye Vody

MSN:

9 41 10 33

YOM:

1974

Flight number:

SU1255

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

124

Aircraft flight cycles:

111

Circumstances:

After a roll of 1,040 meters on the wet runway 03, the captain decided to abandon the takeoff procedure but the remaining distance was 40 meters only. Unable to stop on a so short distance, the airplane overran and collided with an embankment 185 meters further, hit a hammock, broke up and came to rest in a ravine. The flight mechanic was killed while 18 other occupants were injured. 19 others were unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The crew decided to takeoff from an inadequate runway for such type of aircraft (too short runway). Poor flight preparation as the V1 & V2 speed were not verified and properly calculated prior to takeoff. Other factors were considered as contributing such as aircraft weight, wet runway and weather conditions.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-104B in Moscow: 16 killed

Date & Time: Dec 7, 1973 at 2229 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-104

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-42503

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Kutaisi - Mineralnye Vody - Moscow

MSN:

0 2 19 01

YOM:

1960

Flight number:

SU964

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

18300

Aircraft flight cycles:

10983

Circumstances:

The descent to Domodedovo Airport was initiated by night and marginal weather conditions with limited visibility due to snow falls. On final, the airplane was unstable and not properly aligned on the glide so the captain decided to make a turn to the left when the airplane banked left to 35-40°, causing the left wing to struck the ground 135 meters short of runway threshold and 25 meters to the right of its extended centerline. Out of control, the airplane crashed in flames and came to rest 340 meters past the threshold and 220 meters to the left of the runway. Five crew members and seven passengers were killed while 63 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire. Within 10 days after the accident, four other passengers died from their injuries.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew adopted a wrong approach configuration in marginal weather conditions and failed to initiate a go-around maneuver while the aircraft was not properly aligned on the glide and was unstable. The sharp turn completed by the captain caused the airplane to become uncontrollable and to crash.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Mineralnye Vody

Date & Time: Feb 27, 1972

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-24

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-46418

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Krasnodar - Mineralnye Vody

MSN:

87304103

YOM:

1968

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Mineralnye Vody Airport, while at a height of 200 meters, reverse thrust was unintentionally applied. The aircraft lost height and crash-landed in a field some 2 km short of runway 12 threshold, near the suburb of Kangly. All 4 crew and 43 passengers escaped unhurt.

Probable cause:

Error on part of the crew who activated the thrust reverser system on final approach.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V in Mineralnye Vody: 32 killed

Date & Time: Dec 31, 1961 at 1758 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-18

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-75757

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Tbilisi – Mineralnye Vody

MSN:

181 0032 02

YOM:

1961

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

110

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

593

Circumstances:

The airport of Mineralnye Vody was closed since three days due to poor weather in all the Caucasus region. Thus, many flights were cancelled and more than 500 passengers were blocked at Tbilisi Airport. In the afternoon of December 31, the airport of Mineralnye Vody was reopened to trafic and two IL-18 aircraft were chartered for the stranded passengers. The boarding process was disorganized and chaotic. Tickets were not checked and too many passengers boarded the plane. There were 84 passenger seats, so 26 passengers stood or sat on their luggage in the aisles as well as in the galley. The maximum rear centre of gravity was exceeded by 1%. Nevertheless, the flight to Mineralnye Vody was uneventful but on approach, weather conditions were still marginal with a visibility limited to 2 km, a cloud base at 120 meters, light rain and mist. On final approach to runway 12, at an altitude of 250 m and heading 117°, as the pilot-in-command was unable to locate the runway nor the approach lights, he decided to make a go around and increased power on all four engines. The crew turn right heading 188° but failed to gain height. Shortly later, the airplane struck obstacles and crashed in flames 3 km southwest of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and 32 occupants were killed, among them two crew members. All 87 other occupants were evacuated.

Probable cause:

The decision of the crew to attempt a go around was correct due to lack of visibility on final approach. But for unknown reason, the crew continued a low level circuit southwest of the airfield, causing the aircraft to struck obstacles and to crash. A chaotic and disorganized situation at Tbilisi Airport, an excessive number of passengers on board and a high stress situation during the flight were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 on Mt Strizhament: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jul 3, 1957 at 0622 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L4825

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors: