Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Polukotelnikovo: 8 killed
Date & Time:
Aug 20, 1949 at 1730 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1434
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Tbilisi – Kharkiv – Moscow
MSN:
30 266
YOM:
26
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Aircraft flight hours:
553
Circumstances:
The crew departed Kharkiv Airport in the afternoon bound to the north at an assigned altitude of 1,200 meters. While arriving in the region of Belgorod, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls and turbulences. The crew modified his route several times to avoid the cloud and the thunderstorm activity and the captain decided to reduce his altitude to 400 meters to fly below the cloud layer. After 45 minutes, the aircraft encountered heavy turbulences, went to a nose down attitude and eventually crashed at a speed of 360 km/h in a field. Three crew members and five passengers were killed while three other occupants were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control due to heavy turbulences encountered in thunderstorm activity. It was reported that all informations transmitted to the crew from the meteorological services were unsuitable and did not reflect the truth. There was a lack of organisation by the meteorological services and lack of seriousness in the weather prediction.
