Crash of an Ilyushin II-14 on Mt Belaya: 18 killed

Date & Time: Sep 2, 1960 at 1710 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-04200
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Mys Shmidta – Perek – Cherski – Chokurdakh – Tiksi – Khatanga – Dikson – Amderma – Arkhangelsk – Cherepovets – Moscow
MSN:
1470 014 18
YOM:
17
Flight number:
SU804
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
18
Aircraft flight hours:
3580
Circumstances:
The aircraft was performing a special flight from Mys Schmidta to Moscow with polar researchers from the Soviet Air Force on board. On the leg from Arkhangelsk to Cherepovets, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and was flying at an insufficient altitude when the airplane struck the slope of Mt Belaya located in the region of Fedorovskaya, about 315 km southwest of Arkhangelsk. The aircraft was destroyed and all 18 occupants have been killed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were as follow: visibility 4 km below cloud layer at 300 meters, fog, wind at 10 km/h and rain.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the captain decided to continue the flight at an insufficient altitude in poor weather conditions (below minima). Informations related to weather conditions were incomplete, which was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14M near Syktyvkar: 23 killed

Date & Time: Jul 20, 1960 at 1230 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-61696
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Leningrad – Cherepovets – Syktyvkar
MSN:
1470 010 35
YOM:
1957
Flight number:
SU613
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
19
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
23
Aircraft flight hours:
5505
Circumstances:
The flight was performed at 3,000 meters under VFR mode above clouds. But while approaching Syktyvkar, weather conditions worsened with thunderstorm activity. The crew elected to modify his route to avoid this poor weather area when control was lost. The airplane entered a dive, lost its both wings and eventually crashed in flames in a dense wooded area located 87 km southwest of the Syktyvkar Airport. The wreckage was found 11 days later, on July 31. The airplane was completely destroyed and all 23 occupants were killed. The right wing and the right engine were found 80 meters from the main fuselage.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the loss of control was caused by the combination of strong atmospheric turbulences and vertical downdraft encountered while the aircraft was flying in a low pressure area. During the dive, excessive G loads caused the wings to detach and the aircraft became totally uncontrollable. The lack of assistance on part of the meteorology services was considered as a contributing factor as no one transmitted any information to the crew about the deterioration of the weather conditions and the presence of a thunderstorm on the flight path.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 near Aldan: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 5, 1960 at 0445 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-98282
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
MSN:
1101 473 09
YOM:
0
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
1896
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a geophysical survey flight in the west part of Aldan, Yakutia. At the end of the mission, the crew was returning to the east and while flying face to the sun at a height of 1,046 meters, the single engine aircraft struck tree tops and crashed in flames in a dense wooded area located about 145 km west of Aldan. The captain and the flight engineer were killed instantly. The flight operator and the navigator were injured and walked away to find help. After four km walk, the navigator died from his injuries and his body was found thirteen days later on July 18. The flight operator eventually find help and was evacuated to a local hospital. At the time of the accident, the visibility was reduced to one km due to clouds.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew failed to take into consideration the high OAT ( 23°) and its effect on the rate of climb and the airplane's performances. Also, the following factors were considered as contributing:
- The crew failed to make any reconnaissance flight prior to the mission,
- Flying against the sun,
- Poor flight preparation.

Crash of a Beriev BE-10 off Taganrog

Date & Time: Jun 29, 1960
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Type:
Schedule:
Taganrog - Taganrog
MSN:
9 6 004 03
YOM:
1959
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
In unclear circumstances, the seaplane crashed in the Azov Sea while trying to land off Taganrog. The airplane was destroyed and the crew fate remains unknown.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Enken: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 5, 1960 at 1614 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-84609
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur – Okhotsk – Magadan
MSN:
60 02
YOM:
1949
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
10291
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a positioning flight from Nikolayevsk-on-Amur to Magadan with an intermediate stop at Okhotsk. En route, pilots encountered poor weather conditions with turbulences and heavy icing conditions. The airplane lost altitude and eventually dove into the ground before crashing in flames at an altitude of 900 meters on the slope of Mt Dzhugdzhur (1,207 meters high) located in the region of Enken. The burned wreckage was found five days later and all five crew members were killed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were bad with low visibility, snow falls, severe icing conditions, turbulences, wind from 140° at 100 km/h and an OAT of -18°.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the loss of control was caused by an excessive accumulation of ice on wings, stabs and tail combined to the extreme poor weather conditions. It was considered that the informations transmitted to the crew related to weather were incomplete and did not reflect the truth. Also, ATC assistance was considered as inefficient.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18A in Sverdlovsk: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 27, 1960 at 2139 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75648
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Sverdlovsk - Sverdlovsk
MSN:
188 0004 02
YOM:
2
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
390
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training flight at Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport. Following two landings and two approches, the crew started a new approach by night. During the last segment, at a speed of 260 km/h, the aircraft adopted a nose down attitude and struck the runway with its nose gear first that was sheared off upon impact. The airplane bounced and climbed to a height of about 10 meters before hitting the runway again in a nose down attitude. Upon impact, the airplane went out of control and veered off runway to the right before coming to rest in flames. The flight mechanic was killed while all four other occupants were injured. The aircraft was partially destroyed by fire.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration on part of the instructor who adopted a too high speed on final (260 km/h) and failed to adopt a correct flare configuration, causing the airplane to adopt a nose down attitude and to struck the runway surface nose first, causing the nose gear to fail. It was determined that the rear trunk was loaded with a ballast weighing 600 kg instead of 1,000 kg which contributed to shift the center of gravity forward, causing the airplane to nose down. Analysis were not able to confirm if icing conditions may contribute to the accident or not.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2T in Russia

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1960
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-98332
Flight Phase:
MSN:
1104 473 11
YOM:
1958
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After takeoff from an unknown aerodrome, the crew decided to return for a safe landing when, during the last turn, the airplane stalled and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed and the occupant's fate remains unknown. Icing is suspected.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Didino: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 15, 1960 at 1118 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-19405
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Sverdlovsk – Kazan – Moscow
MSN:
184 194 05
YOM:
13
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
2310
Circumstances:
The aircraft was recently transferred from the Soviet Air Force to Aeroflot and the crew was en route from Sverdlovsk to Moscow-Bykovo with an intermediate stop in Kazan. Technical modifications should be brought on the aircraft, all documentation should be modified and adapted with a new color scheme on the fuselage. En route, the right engine failed and the captain decided to return to Sverdlovsk but he was unable to maintain a safe altitude. The crew jettisoned some of the cargo but few boxes struck the door and one of them remained partially blocked, causing drag. Losing altitude, the airplane struck trees and eventually crashed in a wooded area located near Didino, about 65 km west of Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport. The airplane was destroyed, three crew members were injured and the fourth occupant was killed.
Probable cause:
Failure of the right engine in flight due to fuel starvation. It was determined that the fuel selector was connected to the left rear tank which was empty. Only 200 liters were added in the tank prior to takeoff and the crew forgot to change the fuel selector in flight to another suitable tank. It is also reported that the crew failed to take the appropriate measures to maintain a safe control of the airplane with one engine inoperative and the captain maintained an insufficient speed of 150 km/h instead of 170 km/h, which contributed to the loss of altitude.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14M in Vorkuta

Date & Time: Dec 8, 1959
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-61778
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
1470 015 19
YOM:
1957
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Vorkuta Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. In low visibility, the airplane descended too low and struck the ground few dozen yards short of runway threshold. While the airplane was written off, all five crew members were evacuated.
Probable cause:
Wrong altimeter setting ont part of the flying crew who received wrong atmospheric pressure value from the ground, causing the aircraft to be too low on approach in poor weather conditions.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Irkutsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 29, 1959 at 1852 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-01426
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Mama – Kirensk – Irkoutsk
MSN:
30 257
YOM:
1948
Flight number:
V-8
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
9169
Circumstances:
On approach to Irkutsk-Intl Airport, the crew encountered foggy conditions. Despite the visibility decreased below minima, the captain continued the approach when the left wing tip struck the ground. Out of control, the airplane nosed down, struck the ground, bounced and eventually crashed 30 meters farther. The captain and the mechanic were killed while both other crew members were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. Two days later, on December 1st, the copilot died from his injuries and a day later, on December 2nd, the radio operator died as well.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the visibility suddenly dropped due to fog in the approach path and the runway threshold. Despite the situation, the captain decided to continue the approach in below-minima conditions instead of diverting to another suitable airport. Weather forecast were inaccurate and did not reflect reality, which remains a contributing factor.