Russia

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Beijing– Irkutsk – Tashkent – Nicosia

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Crashed shortly after takeoff from Irkutsk-Intl Airport for unknown reason, killing all 17 occupants.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Sverdlovsk: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 12, 1954 at 1640 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L4519

Flight Phase:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Leningrad – Moscow-Bykovo – Kazan – Sverdlovsk – Omsk – Novosibirsk

MSN:

184 290 02

YOM:

1948

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Aircraft flight hours:

7096

Circumstances:

One minute after takeoff from Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport, while in initial climb, the airplane banked left and right and encountered difficulties to gain height when it stalled and crashed 250 meters past the runway end. The wreckage was spotted 150 meters to the left of the runway centerline. Both pilots and three passengers were killed while ten other occupants were injured. Two weeks after the accident, a passenger died from his injuries.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the flaps were deployed at 25° for takeoff, too much for this procedure. Thus, the aircraft's speed after rotation was too low, deteriorating its stability and its lateral control. Investigations were able to determine that the flying crew failed to identify and eliminate the abnormal behavior of the aircraft during initial climb, probably because his attention was diverted. This situation led the aircraft to stall and the distance between the aircraft and the ground was insufficient to expect a recovery. At the time of the accident, the crew was on duty since 13 hours and 40 minutes and the day before, it observed a ON duty period of 17 hours. Thus, it is believed that fatigue accumulated during these two consecutive days, which could be considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 near Krasnoyarsk: 19 killed

Date & Time: Oct 28, 1954 at 0010 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1789

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Irkutsk – Novosibirsk

MSN:

9 301 32 06

YOM:

1949

Flight number:

SU136

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Circumstances:

The crew was supposed to fly from Irkutsk to Novosibirsk but weather conditions at destination deteriorated in flight so the crew was diverted to Krasnoyarsk Airport. While approaching the Krasnoyarsk area by night, the crew was cleared by ATC to descend to 1,500 meters. Descending to the altitude of 1,725 meters in poor visibility, the twin engine aircraft hit the east slope of Mt Sivukha (1,807 meters high) located 30 km from the Mana River. As the airplane failed to arrive in Krasnoyarsk, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 19 occupants was found. The wreckage was found in June 1955, about 132 km south of the intended route. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all 19 occupants have been killed, among them nine foreign citizens (one Polish, one Chinese and 4 Cyprus, four UNO emissaries in Vietnam).

Probable cause:

At the time of the accident, the aircraft was off course by 132 km and deviated from the prescribed flight path from 10° due to strong winds blowing from the northwest up to 130 km/h. Poor flight organisation and follow up, letting the crew descending to 1,500 meters while the minimum safe altitude was 2,100 meters in the area and incomplete information transmitted to the crew regarding wind component that did not reflect the truth were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12P in Novossibirsk: 29 killed

Date & Time: Sep 27, 1954 at 0057 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1365

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Schedule:

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – Krasnoyarsk – Novosibirsk – Moscow

MSN:

30 086

YOM:

1947

Flight number:

SU010

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Circumstances:

On a night approach to Novosibirsk-Severny Airport, the crew encountered bad visibility due to fog. On final, the aircraft was 300 meters to the left of the glide and the crew failed to have a visual contact with the runway and ground. In such conditions, the captain decided to abandon the approach and made a go around. Few minutes later, the crew started a second approach with a horizontal visibility of 100 meters. Without any visual contact with the ground or the runway, the pilot-in-command continued the approach, passed below the decision height when the airplane hit trees and crashed in a wooded area located few km short of runway. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact but there was no fire. All 29 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the visibility was below minima at the time of the accident. Because the crew failed to establish any visual contact with the ground and did not have the runway in sight, it would be necessary to divert to the alternate airport for a safe landing. Continuing the approach without any visual contact with the ground and passing below the decision height, the crew engaged the aircraft in a controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: 26 killed

Date & Time: Aug 26, 1954 at 1050 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L4679

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Khabarovsk – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

MSN:

68 03

YOM:

1949

Flight number:

SU971

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Aircraft flight hours:

4219

Circumstances:

The crew started the approach to Yuzhno-Sakhalisnk from the southeast in marginal weather conditions due to low clouds. At an altitude of 400 meters, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed inverted in a wooded area located on the slope of Mt Komissarskaya (714 meters high) located 13,5 km southeast of the airport. The wreckage was found a day later and a passenger was found alive but seriously injured while all 26 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact.
Crew:
Vasily Trofimovich Degtyarenko, pilot,
Vladimir Parkhomenko, copilot,
Vyacheslav Fedorovitch Eliseikina, mechanic,
Daniel Epifanovich Raznotsvete, mechanic,
Piotr D. Novikov , radio navigator.

Probable cause:

The radio navigator mistook two outer markers when the crew started the approach to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport, and referred to the outer marker of the Korsakov Airbase (frequency 684 kHz) instead of the outer marker of the civil airport of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk-Bolchaya Yelan (frequency 670 kHz). Investigations reported that these two outer markers were too close from each other (13,5 km) with close frequency as well, which contributed to the mistake. The following factors were also pointed out: lack of visibility caused by low clouds (the crew failed to distinguish the mountain); the crew failed to use the radio altimeter and an abnormal action on part of the crew regarding the direction finder unit.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Verkhnyaya Salda: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 23, 1954 at 1305 LT

Type of aircraft:

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Registration:

CCCP-I403

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

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Schedule:

Verkhnyaya Salda – Sverdlovsk – Omsk

MSN:

184 24 03

YOM:

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Aircraft flight hours:

9816

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Verkhnyaya Salda Airport, while climbing to a height of 30-40 meters, both engines failed almost simultaneously. The airplane stalled, hit power cables and eventually crashed in flames in a field located 1,500 meters past the runway end. Three crew members and a passenger were killed while three other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The crew was completing a cargo flight from Verkhnyaya Salda to Omsk with an intermediate stop in Sverdlovsk on behalf of the Ministry of Aviation Industry (MAP - Ministerstvo Aviatsionnoi Promyshlennosti).

Probable cause:

It was determined that both engines failed due to a fuel exhaustion. Investigations confirmed that the fuel selector was connected to the left rear fuel tank that was empty. At the time of the accident, one of the passenger was seating at the copilot seat, against the published procedures. Also, it appears that most of the crew members were intoxicated, which was considered as contributory factors.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Magdagachi: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 4, 1953 at 2155 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1367

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Irkutsk – Chita – Magdagachi – Khabarovsk

MSN:

30 090

YOM:

Flight number:

SU005

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Aircraft flight hours:

4204

Circumstances:

During a final approach completed by night and marginal weather conditions, the airplane hit tree tops located 5,620 meters short of runway threshold. Upon impact, the left wing was sheared off and the airplane crashed 358 meters farther in a dense wooded area. The aircraft was destroyed and all five crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

The aircraft was approaching Magdagachi Airport at an insufficient altitude following a wrong altimeter setting on part of the flying crew.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Magadan: 22 killed

Date & Time: Oct 27, 1953 at 1118 LT

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Registration:

CCCP-L1765

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Schedule:

Magadan – Okhotsk – Nikolayevsk-on-Amur – Khabarovsk

MSN:

9 301 31 02

YOM:

Flight number:

SU783

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Aircraft flight hours:

4271

Circumstances:

The departure from Magadan Airport was completed in light snow conditions. After liftoff, the aircraft encountered difficulties to gain height and rolled left and right. At an altitude of 60-70 meters, the aircraft stalled and crashed six km from the airfield, about two minutes after takeoff. All five crew members and 17 passengers were killed while 10 others were injured, some of them seriously. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the total weight of the aircraft was 996 kilos above the MTOW. Also, the crew did not prepare the flight properly and failed to remove the wet snow from the aircraft prior to takeoff, which increased weight, reduced performances and lift. The combination of an overloaded and non decontaminated aircraft caused the accident.

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

Date & Time: Oct 21, 1953 at 1745 LT

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Registration:

CCCP-L4890

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