Stalingrad

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-41806

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Baku – Makhatchkala – Astrakhan – Stalingrad – Moscow

MSN:

6 34 17 09

YOM:

Flight number:

SU200

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

4945

Circumstances:

On approach to Moscow-Vnukovo, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions with clouds and limited visibility. By night, the aircraft passed below the glide until it struck tree tops and crashed in flames in a wooded area located 1,400 meters short of runway 02 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and only one passenger survived. Among those killed were the Russian composer Sergei Artyomevich Agababov aged 32.

Probable cause:

The accident was the consequence of poor approach techniques on part of the flying crew who allowed the aircraft to descent below the glide in poor visibility until the airplane struck obstacles. Following factors were considered as contributory:
- The crew was tired and failed to observe a sufficient rest time,
- At the time of the accident, the crew was on duty since 13h50 with 5h53 cumulated flying hours,
- The pilots performances were diminished by fatigue and work overload,
- The copilot's experience was insufficient,
- Poor visibility due to the night and a cloud layer down to 60 meters from the ground.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14P in Stalingrad: 25 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1959 at 0333 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-41863

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Moscow – Voronezh – Stalingrad – Baku

MSN:

1460 007 01

YOM:

Flight number:

SU205

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

3922

Circumstances:

On final approach to Stalingrad-Gumrak Airport by night, while at an altitude of 400 meters, the airplane went out of control, banked right and crashed at a speed of 300 km/h in a snow covered field located 5 km from the runway 24 threshold. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact but there was no fire. All 25 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that the aircraft may have been mistakenly shot down was not ruled out. Five round holes of a diameter of 10 mm and 35 mm where found in the flight deck. Also, various metallic fragments foreign to the structure of the aircraft were found above the captain's head as well as in his left thigh. It is believed that arms being fired from a military training facility beneath the approach path.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14 in Stalingrad: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 7, 1958 at 2242 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L2096

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Voronezh – Stalingrad

MSN:

7 34 29 07

YOM:

Flight number:

SU213

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2336

Circumstances:

The approach to Stalingrad Airport was completed by night and poor weather conditions with snow falls and fog. On final, at an altitude of 200 meters, as the pilot-in-command failed to establish a visual contact with the runway lights, he decided to abandon the approach and made a go around. ATC advised the crew to divert to Rostov or Voronezh but the captain obtained the permission to attempt a second approach. On final, in poor visibility, he was again unable to establish a visual contact with the runway lights but continued the approach when the copilot asked for a new go around procedure. In the mean time, the airplane struck tree tops, rolled to the right and crashed in a field located one km short of runway threshold. The flight mechanic was killed while all other occupants were rescued, some of them were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Wrong approach configuration and poor techniques on part of the pilot-in-command who decided to continue the approach without visual contact with the runway lights. He also led the airplane passing below the minimum descend altitude without visual contact with the ground and in below-minima weather conditions.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14 in Voronezh: 25 killed

Date & Time: Aug 6, 1955 at 1518 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L5057

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Stalingrad – Moscow-Vnukovo

MSN:

4 34 04 08

YOM:

1954

Flight number:

SU214

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

824

Circumstances:

The aircraft was performing a flight from Stalingrad to Moscow-Vnukovo, carrying a crew of five and 20 passengers, among them 10 citizens (women) from Norway who met antifascist people in Stalingrad and were flying back to Moscow. While cruising at an altitude of 2,200 meters in clouds, the crew informed ATC about the failure of the right engine and obtained the permission to divert to Voronezh Airport for an emergency landing. Shortly later, the right engine caught fire and while descending to an altitude of 900 meters, the right wing failed, causing the aircraft to dive into the ground and to crash about 4 km from the runway threshold. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all 25 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the right engine was brand new and totalized 250 hours only. Despite this, the engine already suffered cracks and defaults. Investigations reported that a fuel leak occurred on the right engine enroute. Due to lack of oil, the engine overheated, caught fire and eventually exploded. The fire spread to its nacelle and then to the right wing that broke off few minutes later.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Mineralnye Vody: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 21, 1953 at 1745 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L4890

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Sverdlovsk – Kazan – Penza – Stalingrad – Mineralnye Vody

MSN:

184 361 06

YOM:

Flight number:

SU525

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

5130

Circumstances:

On the leg from Stalingrad to Mineralnye Vody, while cruising at an altitude of 2,700 meters, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls. On approach to Mineralnye Vody, the crew obtained the permission to land but the visibility was very low (about 30 meters) with snow falls when the aircraft hit the roof of a farm and crashed 226 meters farther in a snow covered field, about 17 km north of the airport. The captain was killed while seven other occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

The crew was approaching Mineralnye Vody Airport under VFR in IFR conditions.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Stalingrad: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 9, 1952 at 0222 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L4315

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Moscow – Voronezh – Stalingrad – Baku

MSN:

184 274 10

YOM:

Flight number:

SU203

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

4736

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a cargo flight from Moscow to Baku with intermediate stops in Voronezh and Stalingrad, carrying a load of 1,793 kilos of various goods consisting of 517 kilos of brass sheets and mail. The approach to Stalingrad Airport was completed by night and marginal weather conditions. On final, while at a height of about 250 meters some 2,300 meters short of runway, the aircraft lost altitude and then stalled and crashed in a snow covered field, about 60 meters to the right of the center line. The aircraft broke in two and the radio operator was seriously injured while three other occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the young copilot was seated on the left seat while the captain was seated on the right seat at the time of the accident, which was against all regulations and company procedures as the captain did not have sufficient experience to complete a night approach in such configuration. Investigations revealed that the stall was caused by an insufficient approach speed due to an inadequate approach configuration on part of the crew who failed to monitor their instruments properly, especially the speed indicator. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- Lack of coordination during final approach,
- Negligence,
- Lack of discipline,
- Wrong approach configuration,
- Poor flight preparation.

Crash of a Junkers JU.290-V1 in Stalingrad: 45 killed

Date & Time: Jan 13, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.290

Operator:

Registration:

BD+TX

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Ambulance

Survivors:

Site: