Crash of an Airbus A321-211 in Moscow

Date & Time: Aug 15, 2019 at 0615 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VQ-BOZ
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Simferopol
MSN:
2117
YOM:
2003
Flight number:
U6178
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
226
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Moscow-Zukhovski Airport runway 12, while climbing to an altitude of 750 feet in excellent weather conditions, the airplane collided with a flock of birds (sea gulls). Some of them were ingested by both engines that lost power. It was later reported by the crew that the left engine stopped almost immediately while the right engine lost power and run irregularly. Unable to maintain a positive rate of climb, the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing in a cornfield. The airplane belly landed approximately 3,5 km past the runway end and slid for dozen meters before coming to rest with its both engines partially torn off. All 233 occupants were able to evacuate the cabin and it is reported that 23 people were slightly injured.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 in Novoshchendrinskaya

Date & Time: Jul 16, 2019
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RA-3098K
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The pilot, sole on board, was engaged in an aerial photography mission. In flight, he encountered engine problems and was forced to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed onto a barn located in Novoshchedrinskaya, about 15 km north of Gudermes. The pilot and three people in the barn were injured.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24RV in Nizhneangarsk: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 27, 2019 at 1024 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RA-47366
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Ulan-Ude - Nizhneangarsk
MSN:
7 73 108 04
YOM:
1977
Flight number:
AGU200
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
43
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
15167
Captain / Total hours on type:
10667.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
6012
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1325
Aircraft flight hours:
38014
Aircraft flight cycles:
18584
Circumstances:
On a flight from Ulan-Ude to Nizhneangarsk, while descending to an altitude of 3,050 metres about 30 km from the destination airport, the crew contacted ATC and reported the failure of the left engine. The approach was continued to runway 22. After touchdown, the crew started the braking procedure when the airplane deviated to the right then veered off runway. It rolled in a grassy area, cwent through the perimeter fence and eventually impacted the building of a sewage treatment plant located 380 metres to the right of the runway centerline. The captain and the flight engineer were killed and the copilot was seriously injured. 10 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R near Dabady

Date & Time: Jun 9, 2019 at 1624 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RA-81519
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Kyren - Kyren
MSN:
1G208-19
YOM:
1984
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
6921
Captain / Total hours on type:
6912.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3561
Aircraft flight hours:
3720
Circumstances:
The crew departed Kyren Airport on a crop spraying mission to treat forests. About 40 minutes into the flight, while flying at a speed of 140 km/h, the crew encountered downdrafts and the airplane lost height. Due to mountainous terrain, the crew made a turn to the right but the airplane continued to descend. The captain attempted an emergency landing when, at a speed of 85 km/h, the aircraft struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located 16 km southeast of Dabady. Both pilots were injured and evacuated to Irkutsk a day later. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Most likely, the reason for the accident with the An-2 RA-81519 aircraft was the execution by the flight crew along the route in the mountainous terrain to the area of ​​the AHR at an altitude not ensuring its safety, which did not allow crossing the mountain pass, led to the need to perform an emergency landing and damage to the aircraft.
The contributing factors were most likely:
- Non-consideration by the crew of a significant increase of the outside air temperature during the day,
- The crew did not set the altimeter properly,
- Lack of instrument control over the flight altitude,
- Downdraft air currents on the leeward side of the mountain slope;
- Operating fatigue, leading to a weakening of attention and a decrease in level of situational awareness.
Final Report:

Crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100-95B in Moscow: 41 killed

Date & Time: May 5, 2019 at 1830 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RA-89098
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Murmansk
MSN:
95135
YOM:
2017
Flight number:
SU1492
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
73
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
41
Captain / Total flying hours:
6800
Captain / Total hours on type:
1570.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
765
Copilot / Total hours on type:
615
Aircraft flight hours:
2710
Aircraft flight cycles:
1658
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed runway 24C at Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport at 1803LT on a schedule service to Murmansk. Few minutes after takeoff, while climbing to an altitude of 10,000 feet, the crew encountered problems with the electrical system and informed ATC about an emergency situation via the transponder codes 7700 because communication systems were unserviceable. The crew initiated a circuit to return to the airport, continued the approach to runway 24L. On approach at an altitude between 900 and 1,100 feet, the windshear warning system sounded five times 'Go around. Windshear ahead'. From a height of 80 m (260 ft) above ground level, the aircraft descended below the glide path and at a height of 55 m (180 ft) the TAWS warning sounded: "Glide Slope." From that moment on the airspeed increased to 170 knots. At 18:30 the aircraft overflew the runway threshold and touched down at a distance of 900 m past the threshold at a speed of 158 knots. Touchdown occurred at a g-force of at least 2.55g with a subsequent bounce to a height of about 2 m. After two seconds the aircraft landed again on the nose landing gear with a vertical load 5.85g, and bounced to a height of 6 m. The third landing of the aircraft occurred at a speed of 140 knots with a vertical overload of at least 5g. This caused a rupture of the wing structure and fuel lines. The aircraft caught fire, went out of control, veered off runway to the right and came to rest in a grassy area, bursting into flames. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. 37 occupants were evacuated while 41 people, among them a crew member, were killed.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R in Vyun

Date & Time: May 4, 2019 at 1335 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
RA-01443
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Ust-Nera - Vyun
MSN:
1G231-24
YOM:
1988
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
9700
Aircraft flight hours:
6305
Circumstances:
The single engine airplane departed Ust-Nera on a cargo flight to Vyun, carrying two pilots and a load of various equipment destined for the employees of a local gold mine. Upon landing on an unprepared terrain, the undercarriage collapsed. The airplane slid on its belly and came to rest. Both pilots escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The accident occurred at location N 65° 54' E 138° 20'.
Probable cause:
The accident was the result of the destruction of the right main landing gear strut upon landing.
The following contributing factors were identified:
- Unsatisfactory performance of the welded joint in the manufacture of the strut with the formation of welding cracks in one of the most stressed zones of the strut,
- Pilot errors, which led to an early landing of the aircraft, possibly rough, on an unprepared (uncleared) area with possible obstacles.
Final Report:

Crash of a Gulfstream G200 in Moscow

Date & Time: Feb 26, 2019 at 1244 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
4K-AZ88
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Baku - Moscow
MSN:
189
YOM:
2008
Flight number:
EWS88
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
7608
Captain / Total hours on type:
2356.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2554
Copilot / Total hours on type:
609
Aircraft flight hours:
4174
Aircraft flight cycles:
1787
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Baku-Bina Airport on a charter flight to Moscow, carrying three passengers and three crew members. Following an uneventful flight, the crew was cleared for an approach to Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport runway 24C. The aircraft landed at a speed of 150 knots some 250 metres past the runway threshold. After touchdown, the crew started the braking procedure and activated the thrust reversers. After a course of several hundred metres, the aircraft deviated to the left, made an almost 180 turn and veered off runway to the left. While contacting soft ground, the right main gear was torn off and the aircraft came to rest in a snow covered area. All six occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The reason for the accident with the Gulfstream G200 4K-AZ88 was the stowing of the right-engine reverser by the pilot KVS from maximum thrust reversal while maintaining maximum thrust reversal on the left engine, which led to the appearance of a significant turning moment to the left. The aircraft turning to the left in the presence of a cross wind to the right, as well as turbulence of the airflow near the rudder due to the open thrust reversal mechanism of the left engine and possible ice deposition on the outer surfaces of the aircraft, which led to the development of a significant swing moment on the rudder. The development of a significant articulated moment on the rudder, in the absence of power steering in the rudder control system, led to its deviation to the leftmost position despite significant (up to 82 kg or 180 pounds) forces exerted by the crew on the pedals. The deviation of the rudder (pedals) to the left also led to the deviation of the nose wheel to the left. The total moment from the running reverse of the left engine, from the right engine in direct draft mode, and from the rudder and nose wheel deflection to the left, led to the aircraft rolling out of the runway and its damage. Separate braking applied by the crew could not prevent the aircraft from rolling out.

The following contributing factors were identified:
- The crew did not take into account the provisions of the AOM about the possible "destabilizing" effect of the thrust reverse when landing with a cross wind on the runway with a reduced braking coefficient;
- Increased psycho-emotional tension of the crew members due to long dissatisfaction and emotional discussion of instructions and actions of ATC controllers. At the same time, the instructions and actions of the ATC service controllers were in line with established procedures.
Final Report:

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R near Arkhangelsk

Date & Time: Nov 8, 2018 at 1054 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RA-84674
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Arkhangelsk – Soyana – Dolgoshchel’e – Mezen
MSN:
1G191-52
YOM:
1981
Flight number:
9135
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
4742
Captain / Total hours on type:
4336.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
969
Copilot / Total hours on type:
761
Aircraft flight hours:
13509
Aircraft flight cycles:
20389
Circumstances:
The single engine airplane departed Arkhangelsk-Vaskovo Airport on a flight to Mezen with intermediate stops in Soyana and Dolgoshchel’e, carrying 12 passengers (11 adults and one child) and two pilots. En route, weather conditions deteriorated with drizzle. The crew reduced his altitude from 400 to 300 metres when frost formed on the windshield. The captain decided to return to Arkhangelsk but the aircraft' speed dropped from 170 to 120 km/h. Unable to maintain the speed and altitude, the crew attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft collided with trees and crashed in a wooded area located about 50 km northeast of Arkhangelsk-Talaghy Airport. All 14 occupants were rescued, among them two passengers were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The accident with the An-2 RA-84674 aircraft occurred during a forced landing in the forest, the need for which was due to the impossibility of continuing the flight due to the effect of icing on the aerodynamic and traction characteristics of the aircraft (the inability to maintain altitude and speed even with the takeoff engine operating mode). The contributing factor, most likely, was the decision of the crew to climb over 150 m from the ground level, where the presence of stratus clouds and icing was predicted.
Final Report:

Crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100-95B in Yakutsk

Date & Time: Oct 10, 2018 at 0321 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RA-89011
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Ulan-Ude - Yakutsk
MSN:
95019
YOM:
2012
Flight number:
SYL414
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
87
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
13125
Captain / Total hours on type:
1080.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3200
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1300
Aircraft flight hours:
8115
Aircraft flight cycles:
3320
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Ulan-Ude, the crew initiated the approach to Yakutsk-Platon Oyunsky Intl Airport Runway 23L. Due to work in progress, the runway 05R threshold was displaced by 1,150 metres, reducing the landing distance to 2,248 metres for the runway 23L on which the touchdown zone lighting system was unserviceable. On approach, the crew was informed by ATC that the friction coefficient was 0,45. The crew completed the landing on runway 23L with a slight tailwind component of 4 knots and started the braking procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, entered the construction area and collided with the junction of a concrete section under reconstruction, causing both main landing gear to collapse (the left main gear was torn off). The aircraft slid for another 250 metres before coming to rest. All 92 occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The cause of the aviation accident with the RRJ 95B RA-89011 aircraft when landing at night with one deactivated thrust reverser was the transfer to the crew of incorrect information about the value of the friction coefficient, which led to the landing on an icy runway, the average normative friction coefficient which was less than 0.3, which did not allow landing in accordance with current regulations. This led to a significant increase in landing distance, rolling the aircraft out of the runway and collision with the junction of the reconstructed section of the runway with a height of about 0.4 m, which led to the destruction of the main landing gear supports and damage to the engines with fuel leakage without causing a fire.
The contributing factors were the following:
- Absence of a connecting ramp (which was not envisaged by the reconstruction project) between the current and the part of the runway being reconstructed;
- inefficiency of the SMS of Yakutsk Airport JSC in terms of identification and control of risks associated with the possibility of ice formation at the runway, and insufficient control over the implementation of the SMS by aviation authorities;
- erroneous determination of the Xc value at the last measurement;
- inefficiency of ice removal procedure during runway cleaning due to lack of chemical reagents for ice removal and/or thermal machines at the airfield;
- lack of information from the RRJ-95LR-100 RA 89038 aircraft crew about actual rolling out of the runway, which was an aviation incident and was subject to investigation;
- failure by airport and ATC officials to take appropriate action after receiving the RRJ-95LR-100 RA-89038 low friction report from the aircraft crew.
Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 737-8AS in Sochi

Date & Time: Sep 1, 2018 at 0258 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VQ-BJI
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Sochi
MSN:
29937/1238
YOM:
2002
Flight number:
UT579
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
164
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
13995
Captain / Total hours on type:
6391.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
12277
Copilot / Total hours on type:
5147
Aircraft flight hours:
45745
Aircraft flight cycles:
23434
Circumstances:
On 31.08.2018 Boeing 737-800 VQ-BJI operated by UTAir Airlines conducted the scheduled flight UT 579 from Moscow (Vnukovo airport) to Sochi (Adler airport). During the preflight briefing (at 19:50) the crew was provided with the necessary weather information. At 20:15, the crew had passed the medical examination at Vnukovo airport mobile RWY medical unit. The Daily Check line maintenance (DY) was done on 30.08.2018 at Vnukovo airport by UTG aviation services, ZAO; job card # 11465742. The A/C takeoff weight was 68680 kg and the MAC was 26.46 %, that was within the AFM limitations for the actual conditions. At 21:33 the takeoff from Vnukovo airport was performed. The flight along he prescribed route was performed on FL350 in auto mode and without any issues. The F/O acted as the pilot flying (PF). When approaching the Sochi aerodrome traffic control area, the flight crew was provided by the aerodrome approach control with the approach and descending conditions, as well as with the weather conditions near the aerodrome. After descending to the height specified by Sochi Approach, the pilot contacted Sochi Radar, waited for the weather that met his minimum and was cleared for landing. In course of the first approach to landing (from the altitude about 30 m) when RVR got down because of heavy showers, the PIC took controls and performed the go-around. In course of the second approach, the crew performed the landing but failed to keep the airplane within the RWY. The airplane had landed at about 1285 m from the RWY threshold, overrun the threshold, broke through the aerodrome fencing, and came to rest in Mzymta river bed. This ended with the fire outbreak of fuel leaking from the damaged LH wing fuel tank. The crew performed the passenger evacuation. The aerodrome alert measures were taken and the fire was brought under control. Eighteen occupants were injured while all other occupants were unhurt. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The aircraft overrun, destroying and damage by fire were caused by the following factors:
- repeated disregarding of the windshear warnings which when entered a horizontal windshear (changing from the head wind to tail one) at low altitude resulted in landing at distance of 1285 m from the RWY threshold (overrunning the landing zone by 385 m) with the increased IAS and tail wind;
- landing to the runway, when its normative friction coefficient was less than 0.3 that according to the regulations in force, did not allow to land.
The factors contributed the accident:
- the crew violation of the AFM and Operator's OM requirements in regards to the actions required a forecasted or actual wind shear warning;
- use of the automatic flight mode (autopilot, autothrottle) in the flight under the windshear conditions which resulted in the aircraft being unstable (excess thrust) when turning to the manual control;
- lack of prevention measures taken by the Operator when the previous cases of poor crew response to windshear warning were found;
- insufficient crew training in regards to CRM and TEM that did not allow to identify committed mistakes and/or violations in good time;
- the crew members' high psychoemotional state caused by inconsistency between the actual landing conditions and the received training as well as the psychological limit which was determined by the individual psychological constitution of each member;
- insufficient braking both in auto and manual mode during the aircraft rollout caused by the insufficient tyre-to-ground friction aiming to achieve the specified rate of braking. Most probably the insufficient tyre-to-ground friction was caused by the significant amount of water on the RWY surface;
- the aerodrome services' noncompliance of Sochi International Aerodrome Manual requirements related to the RWY after heavy showers inspection which resulted in the crew provision of wrong normative friction coefficients. In obtaining of the increased overrun speed of about ≈75 kt (≈140 km/h) the later setting of engines into reverse mode was contributed (the engines were set into reverse mode 16 s later than the aircraft landed at distance of about ≈200 m from the runway end).
Final Report: