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

Date & Time: Aug 13, 1950 at 1050 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-H955
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Pevek – Zyrianka
MSN:
5908
YOM:
30
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
706
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a cargo flight from Pevek to Zyrianka, carrying a crankshaft and others spare parts for an LM-3 locomotive for a total weight of 1,000 kilos. The airplane left Pevek at 0410LT bound for Zyrianka but upon arrival, the crew was informed by ground that the airport was closed to traffic and has to divert to Seymchan Airport. The pilot modified his route to Seymchan but did not receive any information about weather conditions at destination. After continuing at an altitude of 3,300 meters, the crew encountered poor weather upon arrival in Seymchan and was unable to locate the airport. After an unsuccessful attempt to land, the crew continued to the north and was eventually forced to make an emergency landing as the aircraft was short of fuel. The airplane crashed in a rocky canyon located 72 km northwest of Seymchan and was destroyed upon impact. All five crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was caused by the combination of the following factors:
- The visibility was less than 100 meters at the time of the accident due to snow falls,
- The copilot was inexperienced,
- Wrong decision in diverting the aircraft to Seymchan without knowing the weather conditions at destination (uncertain situation),
- The total rest time of the crew was insufficient,
- Lack of assistance by ground services upon arrival in Seymchan,
- Wrong decision on part of the Zyrianka Airport Authorities which decided to close the airfield to all trafic because the runway was flooded. Investigations revealed that this was not the case and this decision was taken in rush. When the aircraft approached Zyrianka, the airfield was practicable with a 1,000 meters long runway.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12P in Sverdlovsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 11, 1950 at 0210 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1706
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Khabarovsk – Omsk – Sverdlovsk – Moscow
MSN:
8 301 28 03
YOM:
0
Flight number:
SU008
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
22
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
906
Circumstances:
On the approach to land at Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport by night and foggy conditions, crew dropped below the glide path due to pilot error. Aircraft touched tree tops 900 metres behind the outer marker and 160 metres to the right of the runway's extended centerline and crashed in a meadow 220 metres further on (3,100 metres from the perimeter of the airfield). Two crew and two passengers were killed while all 23 other occupants were injured, one of them seriously.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration, poor discipline and inappropriate decisions on part of the crew who decided to continue the approach in poor visibility. In such conditions, it would be recommended to initiate a go around procedure.

Crash of a Consolidated PBN-1 Catalina in Moscow: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 26, 1950 at 1830 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-N488
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Moscow
MSN:
2817
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
1102
Circumstances:
The seaplane was carrying one passenger and five crew members who were completing a post maintenance test flight. The crew was attempting to land in the Khimki Reservoir located northwest of Moscow when the aircraft hit the water surface, nosed down and overturned. Two crew members were killed while three other occupants were injured. The passenger was unhurt and the aircraft sank and was lost.
Probable cause:
The accident was the result of a wrong approach configuration on part of the pilot in command. Investigations stated that the approach speed was set at 220 km/h instead of the prescribed 170 km/h, and in a slight nose down attitude. This caused the aircraft to overturn while contacting the water surface that was, at the time of the accident, considered as glassy (mirror effect) due to the position of the sun and a calm water.

Crash of a Douglas A-20 Havoc near Turukhansk: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 24, 1950
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-F284
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Podkamennaya Tunguska – Turukhansk
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
En route from Podkamennaya Tunguska to Turukhansk, after passing over Imbatsk, the aircraft disappeared and was lost without trace.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Verkhnaya Salda

Date & Time: Jun 19, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-I530
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
184 77 10
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
3121
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a flight for the Ministry of Industry and Aviation (MAP – Ministerstvo Aviatsionnoi Promyshlennosti or Minaviaprom). En route, the crew was forced to reduce his altitude and to attempt an emergency landing in a field for unknown reason. While there were no injuries, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Sverdlovsk: 19 killed

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
42 red
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Moscow – Kazan – Chelyabinsk
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
19
Circumstances:
The aircraft was on its way from Moscow to Chelyabinsk, carrying a crew of six and 13 members of the ice hockey team of the VVS Moscow (Ice Hockey Branch of the Army) who should play against the Dzerzhinsky club of Chelyabinsk. Upon arrival in Chelyabinsk, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and as it was not possible to land, the captain decided to divert to Sverdlovsk. Unfortunately, while approaching Sverdlovsk, weather conditions deteriorated and the visibility was poor due to snow falls. Four times, the crew tried to land but was forced to go around. During the fifth attempt to land, the aircraft was too low and crashed in a field few hundred yards short of the runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all 19 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Focke-Wulf Fw.200C Condor in Yakutsk

Date & Time: Apr 23, 1950 at 1200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-N500
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
0199
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
318
Circumstances:
After touchdown in Yakutsk Airport, the airplane skidded and veered off runway to the right, lost its left main gear and completed a spin before coming to rest. While all nine occupants escaped unhurt, the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair due to severe damages on both left engines and the left wing as well. At the time of the accident, a crosswind of 18 km/h was blowing over the airport.

Crash of a Douglas TS-62 near in Vitim: 10 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1950 at 0812 LT
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L862
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Irkutsk – Kirensk – Olyokminsk – Yakutsk
MSN:
12136
YOM:
1943
Flight number:
SU543
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
16
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Aircraft flight hours:
3686
Circumstances:
En route from Kirensk to Olyokminsk, the left engine caught fire. The captain decided to reduce his altitude but the fire spread to the wing and reached the cabin via the heating system. Descending to an altitude of 2,000 meters, the left engine separated from the aircraft and the aircraft later crash landed in a field located 29 km southwest of Vitim and came to rest in flames. All four crew members and six passengers were able to escape while ten passengers were killed, apparently intoxicated by smoke.
Probable cause:
The cause of the in flight fire on the left engine could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that the fire was caused by the failure of a connection on the fuel line was not ruled out. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- the cabin crew failed to us the fire extinguisher, and also failed to close the heating system valve, which contributed to the quick propagation of the fire into the cabin,
- the captain decided to perform a steep descent that also contributed to the fire's propagation,
- the entire crew failed to give appropriate instructions to passengers prior to and after the accident, and failed to assist them for a safe evacuation, causing the death of 10 women and children.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Sverdlovsk: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 30, 1949 at 0530 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4704
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow – Sverdlovsk – Omsk – Vladivostok
MSN:
184 313 04
YOM:
17
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
1194
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport, while climbing, the crew encountered severe icing conditions and the windshield went covered by ice. The pilot in command lost control of the aircraft that banked right and crashed right wing first in a field located 8,5 km southeast of the airport, near the Iset River. Two crew members and the passenger were killed while three other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
The loss of control was the result of a series of mistakes on behalf of the crew who adopted poor flight techniques after departure. At the time of the accident, weather was marginal with severe icing conditions. It was stated that the crew was inexperienced, especially the copilot, which remains a contributing factor. The inefficiency of the windshield deicing system and a lack of crew training were also considered as contributing factors.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 near Savasleyka: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 20, 1949 at 0405 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1462
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow – Kazan – Chelyabinsk – Kostanay – Karaganda
MSN:
8 302 60 4
YOM:
0
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
550
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a cargo flight from Moscow to Karaganda with intermediate stops in Kazan, Chelyabinsk and Kostanay, carrying a load of various goods consisting of an industrial furnace (765 kg), theater sets, brass tubes (1,030 kg) and electrical equipment (695 kg). While cruising by night at an altitude of 1,800 meters, the flight engineer spotted some flames coming out from the left engine. The crew made several tests and controls, the captain reduced his altitude to 1,500 meters but eventually decided to continue. About an hour later, while flying at an altitude of 3,000 meters, the left engine failed. In such conditions, the pilot was unable to maintain a safe height and the aircraft descended until it hit some tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located on the top of a hill some 22 km east of Mourom, 12 km north of Savasleyka. Three crew members were killed while a fourth was seriously injured.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine caused by the rupture of a flexible set on a hydraulic line, which prevented the engine to be properly lubricated. It was determined that the hose was improperly fixed during a maintenance performed during last April. Lack of visibility caused by night and a wrong decision on part of the crew who decided to continue the flight in such conditions after the first anomaly that occurred an hour prior to the accident remain contributing factors.