Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V in Moscow: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 22, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75526
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Moscow - Moscow
MSN:
183 0068 04
YOM:
1963
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training flight at Moscow-Domodedovo Airport. On final approach, he failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck power cables and crashed few hundred yards short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all five crew members were killed.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124 in Volgograd: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 7, 1968 at 1021 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45019
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Volgograd – Rostov-on-Don
MSN:
2 35 05 04
YOM:
1962
Flight number:
SU3153
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll at Volgograd Airport, after a course of 1,000 meters and while at a speed of 260 km/h, the captain attempted to rotate and pulled the control column. In the same time, he mistakenly pushed the spoiler switch for a period of three seconds. After rotation, the aircraft climbed to a height of 10-15 meters and flew for a distance of about 400 meters then banked left and struck the ground. Upon impact, the left wing was torn off and the airplane crashed in a grassy area and came to rest, broken in three. The wreckage was found 83 meters to the left of the runway and 1,640 meters from the runway threshold. 44 people were evacuated safely while four others were seriously injured, among them the copilot, the board mechanic and the board agent. The radio navigator was killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the spoiler switch was inadequately placed on the steering column of the aircraft, allowing the pilot to activate the switch inadvertently prior to takeoff.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18D near Parchum: 83 killed

Date & Time: Feb 29, 1968 at 2243 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-74252
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Krasnoyarsk - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
MSN:
187 0106 01
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
SU015
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
75
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
83
Aircraft flight hours:
328
Aircraft flight cycles:
89
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 8,000 metres on the leg from Krasnoyarsk to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the crew sent a short inaudible message of two seconds. Shortly later, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and reached the vertical speed of 3,360 - 11,000 feet per minute. Once the altitude of 3,000 meters was reached on descent, the vertical speed increased from 9,850 to 24,600 feet per minute. The airplane then made a turn to the right, got inverted and partially disintegrated at an altitude of 650 meters. Debris crashed at a speed of 890 km/h in an uninhabited area located 13 km northeast of Parchum. Debris scattered on a large zone and miraculously, a passenger was found alive while 83 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. However, the assumption that the loss of control was caused by the failure of a fuel line was not ruled out. This may cause the fuel to leak into the engine and to ignite while in contact with high temperature equipments.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12B in Yakutsk

Date & Time: Jan 29, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-11015
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
6 3 440 06
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Damaged beyond repair after suffering a hard landing. No casualties.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24B near Olyokminsk: 45 killed

Date & Time: Jan 6, 1968 at 1828 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-47733
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Yakutsk – Olyokminsk – Lensk – Ust-Kut – Krasnoyarsk – Novosibirsk
MSN:
69901001
YOM:
1966
Flight number:
SU1668
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
39
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
45
Aircraft flight hours:
1543
Aircraft flight cycles:
1543
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Olyokminsk Airport at 1810LT bound for Lensk. Eighteen minutes later, while cruising at an altitude of 4,500 meters, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent until it crashed in a near vertical attitude (80°) in a dense wooded area located 92 km west of Olyokminsk. The aircraft partially disintegrated in the air and debris scattered on a large area. There was no fire on board prior to final impact. None of the 45 occupants survived the accident.
Probable cause:
Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. There were no technical failure on engine or equipment prior to the accident nor fire on board nor any in-flight collision with any object.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 near Vologda: 14 killed

Date & Time: Jan 4, 1968 at 1114 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-09667
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Ust-Kubinsk – Vologda
MSN:
1G76-01
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Aircraft flight hours:
1921
Aircraft flight cycles:
2176
Circumstances:
While approaching Vologda on a scheduled flight from Ust-Kubinsk, weather conditions deteriorated and the visibility was limited due to snow falls. While cruising at an altitude of 200 meters at a speed of 174 km/h, the airplane collided with another Aeroflot PZL-Mielec AN-2 registered CCCP-96226. En route to Ust-Kubinsk, the airplane was completing a cargo flight with two pilots on board. Following the collision, both aircraft crashed in a swampy area located 23 km north of Vologda and both wreckage were found 220 meters from each other. All 16 occupants in both aircraft were killed.
Probable cause:
Low visibility and poor weather conditions due to snow falls. Poor ATC assistance and inadequate decisions.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 near Vologda: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 4, 1968 at 1114 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-96226
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Vologda – Ust-Kubinsk – Saint-Petersburg
MSN:
1G72-10
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
1794
Aircraft flight cycles:
2327
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Vologda Airport at 1104LT on a cargo flight to Saint-Petersburg, carrying a load of 7 boxes of fish for a total weight of 1,020 kilos. Ten minutes later, while cruising in limited visibility due to snow falls, while at an altitude of 200 meters and at a speed of 173 km/h, the aircraft collided with another Aeroflot PZL-Mielec AN-2 registered CCCP-09667. En route from Ust-Kubinsk to Vologda, the airplane was carrying 12 passengers and a crew of two. Following the collision, both aircraft crashed in a swampy area located 23 km north of Vologda and both wreckage were found 220 meters from each other. All 16 occupants in both aircraft were killed.
Probable cause:
Low visibility and poor weather conditions due to snow falls. Poor ATC assistance and inadequate decisions.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Voronezh

Date & Time: Dec 31, 1967
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-46201
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
67302610
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While approaching Voronezh by night and marginal weather conditions, the crew was informed about clouds down to 80 meters above ground and an horizontal visibility of 1,280 meters which was below the minima of 1,500 meters. Despite this, ATC cleared the crew to continue the descent. Once the aircraft reached the altitude of 100 meters on descent, the crew was cleared to land when the airplane dropped below the glide path, touched down 300 metres behind the inner marker, bounced and crashed into trees 150 metres further on. While the aircraft was destroyed, there were no casualties.
Probable cause:
Approach completed below minima weather conditions.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R in Mugur-Aksy: 6 killed

Date & Time: Dec 1, 1967 at 1207 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-96215
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Kyzyl – Teeli – Mugur-Aksy
MSN:
1G71-48
YOM:
26
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
1769
Aircraft flight cycles:
2406
Circumstances:
On the leg from Teeli to Mugur-Aksy of a flight from Kyzyl to Mugur-Aksy, the crew entered clouds while approaching Mugur-Aksy Airport and deviated from the approach path in the direction to the mountains. The decision to go around was correct but taken too late as the aircraft crashed at a height of 300 metres above the airport's elevation into the snow-covered slope of a mountain (2,123 metres) located some 7 km west of the airport. The aircraft caught fire and burnt out. While six passengers were killed, all eight other occupants, including both pilots, were seriously injured.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration on part of the flying crew who decided too late to attempt a go-around while descending in poor visibility. As the crew was non compliant with the published procedures, this caused the airplane to follow a wrong approach path. Lack of visibility caused by poor weather conditions was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R in Dubovka: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 26, 1967 at 1300 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-09210
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Baku - Kizlyar - Stavropol - Kharkiv
MSN:
1G21-18
YOM:
9
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
2764
Circumstances:
On the leg from Kizlyar to Stavropol of a positioning flight from Baku to Kharkov for overhaul, the crew encountered below-minima weather conditions (low clouds and snowfall). He failed to return and decided to continue in such conditions when the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located northwest of Dubovka (Aleksandrovskoye district of the Stavropol region). A pilot and the passenger (an aircraft mechanic) were killed while the second pilot was seriously injured.
Probable cause:
Poor judgement on part of the flying crew who decided to continue the flight in poor weather conditions. The lack of ATC assistance and some technical issues with the VHF radio systems were considered as contributing factors.