Region
Asia

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

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1950 at 0812 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L862
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Irkutsk – Kirensk – Olyokminsk – Yakutsk
MSN:
12136
YOM:
1943
Flight number:
SU543
Location:
Vitim
Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
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:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4704
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Moscow – Sverdlovsk – Omsk – Vladivostok
MSN:
184 313 04
YOM:
17
Location:
Sverdlovsk
Sverdlovsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
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:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1462
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Moscow – Kazan – Chelyabinsk – Kostanay – Karaganda
MSN:
8 302 60 4
YOM:
0
Location:
Savasleyka AFB
Nizhny Novgorod 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:
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.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 near Kabansk: 14 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1949 at 0514 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1844
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Alma Ata – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Chita
MSN:
9 301 35 14
YOM:
27
Location:
Kabansk
Republic of Buryatia
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Aircraft flight hours:
92
Circumstances:
On the left from Irkutsk to Chita, while cruising by night at an assigned altitude of 3,000 meters, the crew encountered icing conditions and received the permission to reduce his altitude to 2,400 meters. Few minutes later, at 0512LT, the crew contacted ATC but was asked to standby because the frequency and the ATC was busy. Two minutes later, while an altitude of 1,400 meters, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed 150 meters further in a wooded area located on the slope of the Kabanya Mountain (1,479 meters high). The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 14 occupants were killed, among them probably some members of the self-proclaimed government of the East Turkestan Republic.
Probable cause:
No technical issue or findings were found with the aircraft or its equipment, instruments or components. Investigations were unable to determine the reason why the crew was flying at the altitude of 1,400 meters, below the assigned flight level. In such conditions, it was considered that the accident was caused by a controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Polukotelnikovo: 8 killed

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1949 at 1730 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1434
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Tbilisi – Kharkiv – Moscow
MSN:
30 266
YOM:
26
Location:
Polukotelnikovo
Kursk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Aircraft flight hours:
553
Circumstances:
The crew departed Kharkiv Airport in the afternoon bound to the north at an assigned altitude of 1,200 meters. While arriving in the region of Belgorod, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls and turbulences. The crew modified his route several times to avoid the cloud and the thunderstorm activity and the captain decided to reduce his altitude to 400 meters to fly below the cloud layer. After 45 minutes, the aircraft encountered heavy turbulences, went to a nose down attitude and eventually crashed at a speed of 360 km/h in a field. Three crew members and five passengers were killed while three other occupants were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control due to heavy turbulences encountered in thunderstorm activity. It was reported that all informations transmitted to the crew from the meteorological services were unsuitable and did not reflect the truth. There was a lack of organisation by the meteorological services and lack of seriousness in the weather prediction.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Naberezhnye Chelny: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 1, 1949
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4354
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Leningrad – Yanaul – Kazan – Leningrad
Location:
Naberezhnye Chelny
Republic of Tatarstan
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
En route, the left engine failed. As this engine model was not equipped with a propeller feathering system, the airplane suffered high drag and the crew was unable to maintain a safe altitude. The aircraft lost height, hit tree tops and eventually crashed in a wooded area. Six occupants were injured while both pilots were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew failed to follow the en route procedures and failed to switch the fuel selector on the appropriate tank. The left engine stopped because the fuel selector was connected to an empty tank, and the crew failed to switch the selector on a tank where there was sufficient fuel remaining.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 near Marga: 13 killed

Date & Time: Jul 21, 1949 at 1135 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1714
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Moscow – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Khabarovsk
MSN:
8 301 28 11
YOM:
28
Flight number:
SU005
Location:
Marga
Irkutsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a flight from Moscow to Khabarovsk with intermediate stops in Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk with a load consisting of 2,204 kilos of various goods and 115 kilos of mail. En route to Irkutsk, at an altitude of 3,000 meters, the left engine caught fire. The crew was able to extinguish the fire but the captain decided to divert to Nizhneudinsk Airport for a safe landing. As the crew was unable to maintain a safe altitude, the passengers jettisoned the mail bags. While at a height of some 40-60 meters with only the right engine running, the aircraft hit the tops of several larches, stalled and crashed in flames in a grain field located 5 km southeast of the Sheberta rail station, northeast of Marga. One crew member was injured while 13 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The fire on the left engine was the consequence of the failure of the piston #12 that broke in flight as a result of the defect of the upper part of the rod. Following this, the bolt broke and the fuel leaked into the engine and ignited while in contact with high temperature elements. It was reported that the piston failure was due to a bore default during the construction. Also, experts blamed the crew who did not take the decision to land immediately rather than trying to reach Nizhneudinsk Airport that was situated 60 kilometers from their position.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Novosibirsk: 25 killed

Date & Time: May 13, 1949 at 1410 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1791
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Moscow – Omsk – Novosibirsk – Krasnoyarsk
MSN:
93013208
YOM:
1949
Location:
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
20
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Aircraft flight hours:
51
Circumstances:
While descending to Novosibirsk Airport, the crew encountered bad weather conditions with thunderstorm activity, low clouds, poor visibility, hail and turbulences. On approach, lightning hit the cockpit. The copilot and the flight engineer were seriously injured and lost consciousness. The copilot fell onto the control column and the captain tried to maintain a directional control. Shortly later, the aircraft banked right to 65° and then dove into the ground and crashed in flames in a field located 12 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 25 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The loss of control on approach was caused by adverse weather conditions resulting from a violent storm consisting of hail and turbulences. Investigations revealed that lightning struck the cockpit and that two crew members were seriously injured and lost consciousness, making it difficult to continue the flight. Investigators blamed the pilots who started the approach in such weather conditions but nevertheless hold that they were not properly briefed by meteorologists. It was concluded that the crash was the combination of the following factors: unexpected weather conditions, wrong decisions on part of the flying crew, poor management on part of the flight control service, lack of communication between the different departments involved and difficulties with radio contacts.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Kirensk: 14 killed

Date & Time: Apr 29, 1949 at 1220 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4464
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Yakutsk – Kirensk
Location:
Kirensk
Irkutsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
18
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 1,300 meters in poor weather conditions, the crew started the descent to Kirensk despite the fact that he was unaware of his real position. While descending into clouds, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located 117 km east of Kirensk. The wreckage was found few hours later and ten survivors (three crew members and seven passengers) were evacuated while 14 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It appears that the aircraft was off track by 70 km to the southeast at the time of the accident due to a navigational error on part of the crew. It was reported that this navigational error was caused by poor piloting methods on part of the crew who decided to start the descent to Kirensk without knowing his exact position. The lack of visibility due to clouds was considered as a contributory factor.

Crash of a Junkers JU.52/3m in Beloyarsk: 1 killed

Date & Time: Feb 7, 1949 at 1042 LT
Type of aircraft:
Junkers JU.52
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-I511
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Verkhnyaya Salda – Oufa
MSN:
7658
YOM:
1942
Location:
Beloyarsk
Sverdlovsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
3325
Circumstances:
The crew left Verknyaya Salda in the morning on a cargo flight to Ufa. En route, he encountered poor weather conditions and the visibility was reduced by snow falls. As the crew did not have the appropriate charts for the region, he obtained the assistance of the ATC and was vectored to Tyumen Airport. Few minutes later, while cruising at an assigned altitude of 2,100 meters, the central engine lost power and failed. Shortly later, both other engines (left and right) lost power and produced black smoke. In such conditions, the crew was unable to maintain a safe altitude and the captain decided to make an emergency landing. The aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located 14 km north of Mezenka. Four crew members were injured while the captain was killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that all three engines lost power and eventually failed due to an excessive accumulation of wet snow in the carburetor and the air intake.
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