Region
Asia

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:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Moscow – Voronezh – Stalingrad – Baku
MSN:
184 274 10
YOM:
29
Flight number:
SU203
Location:
Stalingrad
Volgograd oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
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 Lisunov LI-2 near Namtsev: 20 killed

Date & Time: Dec 27, 1951 at 0426 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4228
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Yakutsk – Vilyuisk
MSN:
18421601
YOM:
1945
Location:
Namtsev
Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
20
Aircraft flight hours:
4429
Circumstances:
On a flight from Yakutsk to Vilyuisk when the crew selected fuel supply from the left rear tank but forgot to switch to another tank when the left rear tank ran empty. Both engines stopped 31 minutes into the flight so the crew tried to make an emergency landing in the valley of the river Taras located near Namtsev, about 90 km north of Yakutsk. Unfortunately, the crew set the propellers on high pitch and lowered the landing gear too early so the aircraft did not make it to the valley, stalled and crashed into a wooded area some 200 meters from an open area. All 20 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Engine failure caused by a fuel exhaustion due to poor management of the fuel supply system on part of the crew. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- Poor flight organization,
- Poor crew coordination,
- Several wrong decisions were taken by the flying crew during flight.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Novosibirsk: 23 killed

Date & Time: Nov 17, 1951 at 1623 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1775
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Novosibirsk – Moscow
MSN:
9 301 31 12
YOM:
21
Location:
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
19
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
23
Aircraft flight hours:
2007
Circumstances:
Due to the arrival of additional passengers coming from Yakutsk, a second flight was organized from Novosibirsk to Moscow. Snow falls all day and about 15 mm of ice accumulated on all aircraft. During taxiing, an additional layer of 8 to 10 mm of snow accumulated on the airplane. The takeoff run was considered as normal and after rotation, the airplane climbed to a height of about 100 meters and then stalled and crashed in a huge explosion about 900 meters past the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 23 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the aircraft was covered by ice and snow and that the following areas were polluted and contaminated by ice and snow: leading edges, trailing edges, ailerons, wings, fuselage, tail and stabs. In such conditions, the aircraft was unable to climb in a safely manner. The following findings were pointed out:
- The crew neglected some procedures referring to the flight preparation,
- The crew failed to check the aircraft prior to departure and failed to provide an appropriate deicing procedure,
- Poor flight preparation and organisation,
- Poor weather conditions,
- Lack of appropriate measures taken to clean the aircraft before takeoff.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Sverdlovsk: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 11, 1951 at 0340 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4416
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Sochi – Krasnodar – Rostov-on-Don – Voronezh – Penza – Kazan – Sverdlovsk
MSN:
184 285 02
YOM:
28
Flight number:
SU521
Location:
Sverdlovsk
Sverdlovsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
4169
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Kazan Airport at 2250LT in good weather conditions bound for Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport. The crew was cleared to climb to 3,000 meters and later, encountered marginal weather conditions with clouds, icing conditions and light snow. In such conditions, the crew requested permission to reduce his altitude and descended to 1,800 meters in icing conditions. The radio operator tried several times to contact ATC in Koltsovo without success. Unable to locate his position due to low visibility and the failure of the radiocompas, the crew lost his orientation and due to a imminent fuel exhaustion, the captain decided to attempt an emergency belly landing. The airplane hit trees and crashed in a prairie located about 70 km west of Sverdlovsk and was damaged beyond repair. All 10 occupants were wounded and the copilot died from his injuries a day later.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the accident resulted from a loss of orientation on part of the crew leading to an emergency landing attempt due to exhausted fuel reserves. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- weather conditions deteriorated en route with icing conditions that were not reported in the weather forecast bulletin transmitted to the crew prior to departure,
- malfunction or failure of the radiocompas and a communication antenna, probably due to icing conditions,
- negligence on part of the crew who failed to follow the procedures for a radiocompas navigation, failed to perform the appropriate heading and tracking calculations and failed to refer to the direction-finding (ADF) values,
- failure of the air traffic controller who authorized the crew to climb to the altitude of 3,000 meters with the presence of severe icing conditions,
- crew fatigue due to a near 14 consecutive hours duty time,
- a copilot was refused on board before departure due to intoxication and the captain decided to do the flight without him. As a result, the flight was started with a limited crew which was also considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 on Mt Hor-Taiga: 2 killed

Date & Time: Oct 6, 1951 at 0950 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-G389
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Geographical / Geophysical / Scientific
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
1 13 473 05
YOM:
18
Location:
Mt Hor-Taiga
Republic of Tuva
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
144
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a geophysical survey flight in the Republic of Tuva on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Geology (Ministerstvo Geologii – MinGeo). While cruising in marginal weather conditions, the single engine aircraft hit with its right main gear the top of Mt Hor-Taiga (2,618 meters high) and crashed into a ravine. The flight engineer was killed while four other occupants were injured. Two of them walked away to find help and came back a day later to evacuate the other survivors. The navigator died from his injuries 16 hours later. The aircraft, brand new, was destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the accident was caused by a poor flight preparation on part of the crew and the combination of the following factors:
- lack of crew training that failed to guarantee a sufficient flight safety level,
- lack of pilot experience in conducting geophysical survey flights,
- incomplet meteorological informations for mountainous terrain,
- absence of a flight manual and procedures regarding aerial photography missions,
- overconfidence on part of the navigator who had more than five years experience in this type of mission,
- deterioration of weather conditions during flight.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Serkovo: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 1, 1951 at 0931 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4775
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Turukhansk – Igarka
MSN:
184 340 04
YOM:
20
Flight number:
SU033
Location:
Serkovo
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
1470
Circumstances:
The crew left Turukhansk Airport in the morning in marginal weather conditions consisting of rain falls and a visibility estimated between 4 and 10 km. About 115 km north of Turukhansk, the visibility dropped to one km and the pilot-in-command modified his route and decided to reduce his altitude to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft hit tree tops with its left wing. It continued for one km then banked left and crashed in a dense wooded area located about 25 km north of the village of Serkovo. All four crew members and two passengers were killed while 9 other passengers were injured, three seriously.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew decided to fly under visual flight rules in IFR conditions and below minima. Also, the pilot-in-command modified his route without prior permission, which was considered as a contributory factor.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 near Tukalan River

Date & Time: Sep 18, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-N565
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Positioning
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
1 09 473 06
YOM:
1951
Location:
Tukalan River
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On a positioning flight from the Tukalan River to a remote area when the wheels got stuck in the soft ground during the takeoff run. The aircraft nosed over and caught fire. Both pilots escaped unhurt but the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 near Yakutsk: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1951 at 1920 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-N566
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
1 09 473 01
YOM:
1951
Location:
Yakutsk
Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
400
Circumstances:
After takeoff from an area located along the Lena River, in the region of Yakutsk, while climbing to a height of 50-60 meters, the single engine aircraft banked left to 65° and nosed down to 25° then plunged into the Lena River about 200 meters offshore. All four crew members were able to evacuate the cabin but only three reached the shore as the flight engineer was drowned.
Probable cause:
Loss of control caused by locked ailerons. The crew failed to prepare the flight properly and started the takeoff procedure with locked ailerons.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Vilyuisk: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 12, 1951 at 0702 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4314
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Vilyuisk - Yakutsk
MSN:
18427409
Location:
Vilyuisk
Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Vilyuisk Airport, while climbing, the left engine failed. The crew was able to shut down the engine and to feather the propeller and decided to return to the airport for a safe landing. After completing a circuit, the airplane was approaching the airfield when it stalled and crashed in a field. Two passengers were killed while 14 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine after liftoff due to a technical problem on the regulator. However, it was determined that the crew failed to take the appropriate actions and due to a lack of coordination, completed the approach in a wrong configuration with a too low speed, causing the aircraft to stall. A recovery was impossible due to an insufficient distance between the airplane and the ground. It appears that the captain and the second pilot who was acting as an instructor on this flight and was seating in the right seat did not have sufficient skills to operate in such situation with one engine inoperative.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 on Mt Nevskaya

Date & Time: Jun 16, 1951 at 1225 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-H986
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Government
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Magadan - Seymchan - Omsukchan
MSN:
1 02 473 10
YOM:
28
Location:
Mt Nevskaya
Magadan oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
332
Circumstances:
The single engine aircraft left Magadan Airport at 0925LT under Visual Flight Rules with good weather conditions. En route, these conditions worsened and it was not possible to reach the crew due to communication issues. The pilot took the decision to cancel the intermediate stop in Seymchan and continued directly to Omsukchan. While the weather conditions became marginal and the visibility dropped, the crew went into a steep valley and dead end. In such conditions, the pilot in command increased power but the aircraft hit trees and crashed on the slope of Mt Nevskaya at an altitude of 1,380 meters. The wreckage was spotted a day later about 40 km southwest of Omsukchan. All eight occupants, among them two children, were evacuated. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The crew took the wrong decision to continue the flight when the weather conditions worsened. The pilot in command decided to cancel the intermediate stop and followed another route without prior permission, flew over a mountainous area without sufficient visual references with the ground, violating so the published procedures.
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