Russia | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

On final approach, the airplane was not properly aligned and the crew was instructed by ATC to make a go around. For unknown reason, the crew ignored this order and continued the approach. The airplane landed at an excessive speed and was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest in flames. There were no injuries but the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Wrong approach configuration on part of the flying crew who failed to make a go around.

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

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1961 at 2052 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-41858

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Stalingrad - Stalingrad

MSN:

1460 009 40

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

6940

Circumstances:

The crew (two pilots, one mechanic and one instructor) departed Stalingrad-Gumrak Airport in the evening to complete a local training mission. Just after liftoff, while in initial climb at a speed of 200 km/h and a height of 20-30 meters, the instructor decided to reduce the engine power to nominal value. The pilot-in-command noticed a loss of power on the left engine and certain that it failed, he ordered the crew to shut it down and to feather its propeller. In the mean time, the airplane banked left to an angle of 70° and then stalled before crashing in a snow covered field located 2,100 meters past the runway end. The mechanic was killed while three other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the instructor decided to reduce the power of the left engine without informing the rest of the crew, which is non compliant to the published procedures. Due to lack of communication, the pilot-in-command interpreted the loss of power for an engine failure. According to procedures, the instructor was not authorized to simulate an engine failure, in fact to reduce the engine power, below the minimum safe altitude of 1,000 meters. Also, his experience on this type of aircraft and in night time conditions was insufficient (176 hours), which was considered as contributing factors, as well as the fact that the captain failed to check his performances.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Pervoye Maya: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jan 17, 1961 at 0538 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-84694

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Meteorological / Weather

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Stalingrad - Stalingrad

MSN:

184 231 06

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

10617

Circumstances:

The crew departed Stalingrad-Gumrak Airport for a regional meteorological mission. While flying in marginal weather conditions at an altitude of 4,000 meters, the captain decided to climb to 5,200 meters and allowed the rest of the crew to execute non-compliant maneuvers. The aircraft went in stall conditions then entered a dive. The captain elected to regain control but the aircraft crashed in a huge explosion in a snow covered field located in Pervoye Maya, about 85 km northeast of Stalingrad-Gumrak Airport. The aircraft disintegrated in impact and all five crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

Due to insufficient experience, the captain decided to allow the crew to engage in a non-manageable situation that led the aircraft to stall and to crash.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18A in Ulyanovsk: 17 killed

Date & Time: Dec 28, 1960 at 1942 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-18

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-75651

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Kuybyshev - Ulyanovsk

MSN:

188 0004 05

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

144

Aircraft flight cycles:

178

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a training flight from Kuybyshev to Ulyanovsk, carrying 13 crew members (five instructors and eight pilots under supervision) and four employees of the Voronezh aircraft plant. Following an uneventful flight, the pilot started the approach and when the flaps were selected down to 40°, the airplane became unstable. From a height of 120-150 metes, it stalled and crashed in a field located 1,240 meters short of runway threshold. The airplane was destroyed and all 17 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The approach was completed in cloud and icing conditions and it is believed that the loss of control was caused by the contamination by ice of critical surfaces such as stabilizers and elevators. The combination of icing conditions and the deployment of the flaps to an angle of 40° caused the aircraft to stall and the distance between the airplane and the ground was insufficient to expect a recovery.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14M in Chernovo: 14 killed

Date & Time: Dec 4, 1960 at 2253 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-52091

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Syktyvkar – Gorki – Moscow

MSN:

7 34 29 05

YOM:

Flight number:

SU081

Location:

Chernovo

Nizhny Novgorod oblast

Country:

Russia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

6163

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed Syktyvkar Airport at 2228LT on a flight to Moscow via Gorki and the crew received the permission to climb to 3,000 meters. 18 minutes later, the crew reported icing conditions and received the permission to climb to 3,600 meters. Three minutes later, at 2249LT, the crew reported that the right engine caught fire and requested the permission to divert to the nearest airport. Apparently, the crew was unable to extinguish the fire and the captain completed a rapid descent. After passing the last cloud layer, at an altitude of 100-150 meters, the airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a field located 500 meters from the village of Chernovo, some 134 km northeast of Gorki Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact and all 14 occupants have been killed.

Probable cause:

Failure of the cylinders and pistons on the right engine in flight which caused a fuel and hydraulic leak. Both fluids caught fire when contacted high temperature equipment of the engine. The right engine totalized 1,164 hours and 390 hours since last overhaul.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14FK in Leningrad: 9 killed

Date & Time: Nov 25, 1960 at 1435 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-91610

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Leningrad - Leningrad

MSN:

1480 019 43

YOM:

Location:

Leningrad-Shosseynaya

Leningrad oblast

Country:

Russia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1709

Circumstances:

The crew departed Leningrad-Shosseynaya Airport at 0947LT for a local training mission. At this time, weather conditions were poor with low clouds down to 200 meters, mist and a visibility less than 5 km. Thus, the crew was instructed to complete the training mission in the vicinity of the airfield. At the beginning of the afternoon, ATC authorized the crew to continue the mission and while cruising at an altitude of 2,100 meters, the pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that went into a dive. After crossing the last cloud layer, the pilot elected to regain control but it was too late. The airplane crashed and exploded in a field located in Dachnoe, less than a km north of the airfield. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all nine occupants were killed, among them three pilots, four instructors and two passengers.

Probable cause:

The loss of control occurred while the crew was simulating the failure of the right engine in cloudy conditions. Most probably due to successive errors, or maybe due to a spatial disorientation that affected the pilot-in-command, the airplane went out of control and entered a dive. The pilot elected to regain control after passing the last cloud layer (200 meters from the ground) but the distance between the aircraft and the ground was insufficient. The presence of two civilians on board was against the published regulation.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Zyrianka: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 11, 1960 at 2330 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-84748

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Magadan – Seymshan – Zyrianka – Nizhni Kresty – Bilibino – Pevek

MSN:

184 301 09

YOM:

Flight number:

SU213

Location:

Zyrianka

Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)

Country:

Russia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was performing a cargo flight from Magadan to Pevek with intermediate stops at Seymshan, Zyrianka, Nizhni Kresty, and Bilibino, carrying one passenger, a crew of five and two tons of apples. The takeoff was started by night and in snow falls from a contaminated runway. After a long takeoff course, the pilot-in-command completed the rotation at low speed. After liftoff, the airplane reached a high angle of attack, stalled and struck the runway surface several times. It continued for few hundred yards then banked left and eventually crashed in flames in a snowy field located 440 meters past the runway end. The passenger was slightly injured while all five crew members were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The crew took the decision to takeoff from a contaminated runway that has not been properly cleaned prior to the accident. In such conditions, all safety conditions were not met and the aircraft performances were reduced. For undetermined reason, the crew decided to continue the takeoff run despite the course was too long and failed to take the right decision to abandon the departure procedure.

Crash of an Avia 14P in Penza: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 30, 1960 at 2158 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avia 14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-52025

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Leningrad – Penza – Saratov

MSN:

051 704 114

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

4382

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a cargo flight from Leningrad to Saratov with an intermediate stop at Penza, carrying a load of refrigerator spare parts. After takeoff from Penza Airport, while climbing by night, the airplane banked left to 40° then stalled and crashed in flames in a field located 2 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all five crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the loss of control during initial climb was caused by an excessive accumulation of ice on both engines and propeller blades. Due to a poor flight preparation and a wrong interpretation of the weather conditions, the captain decided to takeoff in freezing rain. The assumption that all speed indicators, altimeters and variometers were unserviceable at the time of the accident was not ruled out. Also, both engines did not run at impact.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A in Ust-Orda: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 21, 1960 at 2114 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-104

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-42452

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Moscow – Omsk – Irkutsk – Khabarovsk

MSN:

9 66 017 01

YOM:

Flight number:

SU005

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1071

Circumstances:

On the leg from Omsk to Irkutsk, at a distance of 160 km from the destination, the crew was informed about the deterioration of the weather conditions at Irkutsk Airport and was then diverted to Ust-Orda Airport. At this time, weather at Ust-Orda was as follow: cloud base at 250 meters, snow falls and a visibility of 3 km. On approach by night, the nose gear light was unserviceable so the captain decided to make a go around. For unknown reason, this procedure was delayed and he completed a low pass over the runway for about two km before making a turn to the left at a height of 10-15 meters when the airplane struck power cables. The aircraft stalled and crashed in flames on a hilly terrain near the airport. 46 passengers were uninjured while 19 occupants were injured. Three crew members were killed, the navigator, the radio operator and the mechanic. The aircraft was totally destroyed by a post crash fire.

Probable cause:

The decision of the captain to perform a go around was comprehensive but the very low pass (10-15 meters) above the runway was unacceptable. Investigations were able to determine that weather conditions at Irkutsk Airport were not as bad and the decision of the ATC to divert the crew to Ust-Orda was not necessary. Also, it was the first time that the pilot was flying to Ust-Orda and he did not have any knowledge about the environment at this airport, which was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Vickers 837 Viscount in Moscow: 31 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1960 at 2140 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers Viscount

Operator:

Registration:

OE-LAF

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Vienna – Warsaw – Moscow

MSN:

437

YOM:

1960

Flight number:

OS901

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

2395

Captain / Total hours on type:

1752.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

2088

Copilot / Total hours on type:

458

Aircraft flight hours:

1272

Aircraft flight cycles:

872

Circumstances:

The approach to Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport was completed by night and in poor weather conditions. After its four turn on approach, the crew continued the descent below the glide when the airplane struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located 11 km short of runway 07. The aircraft was destroyed, five crew members and 26 passengers were killed while six other occupants were seriously injured. At the time of the accident, the visibility was limited due to the night, foggy conditions and rain falls.

Probable cause:

The investigations revealed that there were no technical deficiencies in the aircraft itself or a meteorological phenomenon involved in the accident. The Austrian observers participating in the investigation of the accident were of the opinion that the accident was related to altitude measurement, inasmuch as it was apparent from radio communications as well as from the examination of the wreckage that that the crew believed that they were flying at the normal approach altitude. The erroneous altitude measurement may be attributed to:
- A technical deficiency of either of the two altimeters,
- The divergent settings of the altimeters or,
- Omission of altimeter reading or erroneous reading of altimeters.
The internal mechanism of both altimeters was so heavily damaged that it could no longer be ascertained whether, at the time of the accident, the altimeters were functioning accurately. Both altimeters were set to the correct atmospheric pressure but their settings differed, namely the left altimeter was set at QFE 990 millibars and the right altimeter at 1013 millibars, which in view of the prevailing atmospheric pressure conditions, could have corresponded both to QNH and to the standard pressure setting. Such divergent settings are at variance with the usual procedure of Austrian Airlines. The reasons prompting the flight captain to depart from the usual practice could not be ascertained. It was not possible to reach a categorical conclusion as to which of the three causes were responsible for an approach below the minimum flying altitude.

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