Sochi-Adler | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

While cruising at an altitude of 6,100 meters on a flight from Moscow-Vnukovo Airport to Sochi-Adler Airport, the generator on engine number three failed. Debris punctured a hydraulic line and the fluid caught fire while in contact with high temperature elements of the engine. As the fire extinguishing system failed to work properly, the crew decided to shut down all three other engines and completed a gear up landing in a field. The airplane slid for several yards and came to rest. All 97 occupants were evacuated safely.

Probable cause:

Failure of the generator on engine number 3 for unknown reason. This caused the rupture of a hydraulic line and the fluid caught fire while contacting engine elements. The reason of the dysfunction of the fire extinguishing system remains unknown.

Crash of a Tupolev PS-41 near Sochi: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 21, 1943 at 1420 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-40 (PS-40/PS-41/SB 2)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L3508

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Sochi - Maykop

MSN:

5/300

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1179

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Sochi-Adler Airport at 1400LT On a cargo flight to Maykop, carrying a load of fuel, three passengers and two crew members. About 20 minutes into the flight, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in a mountainous area located 25 km north of Adler Airport. All five occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Douglas A-20 Havoc in Abinsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 28, 1943 at 1210 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas A-20 Havoc/DB-7 Boston

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Sochi - Sochi

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Sochi-Adler Airport on a combat mission. Southwest of Krasnodar, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Abinsk. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
S/Lt Alexey Petrovich Karelin, pilot,
M/Lt Alexander Grigorievich Fenin, navigator,
Sgt Ivan Kipriyanovich Dedovich, radio operator,
Sgt Lev Pavlovich Melamed, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Kochyerigin PS-43 in Sochi: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1942 at 1700 LT

Type of aircraft:

Kochyerigin PS-43

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L3029

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Sukhumi - Sochi

MSN:

536

YOM:

1940

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Approaching Sochi-Adler Airport at the end of the afternoon, the airplane was shot down by two German fighters and crashed. Both crew members and the passenger were killed.

Probable cause:

Shot down by two German fighters. It was determined that the route Sukhumi - Sochi was forbidden during the day due to enemy action in the area. To conduct such flight, a crew should be accompanied with Soviet fighters. In the present case, the pilot decided to takeoff despite the fact that no fighters were available to convoy.