Turkmenistan

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lebap Province (Lebap welaýaty)

Schedule:

Ashgabat - Türkmenabat

MSN:

9 64 04 51

YOM:

1976

Flight number:

TUA308

Location:

Türkmenabat

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Türkmenabat Airport following an uneventful flight from Ashgabat, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity, heavy rain falls and limited visibility. On short final, the crew lost visual contact with the runway for few seconds, causing the aircraft to deviate from the approach path to the right. The crew decided to continue when, at a height of 12 metres, the right wing struck a mast. The aircraft caught fire, turned to the right and crashed at a speed of 220 km/h, bursting into flames. The wreckage was found one km from the runway end. All 38 occupants evacuated safely, among them five passengers were injured. The aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Probable cause:

The approach was completed in very bad weather conditions and a first approach was abandoned few minutes prior to the accident. During the second attempt to land, the crew lost visual contact with the runway for few seconds, causing the aircraft to deviate to the right of the approach path. The crew decided to continue the approach in such conditions rather than initiating a new go-around procedure.

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

Date & Time: Apr 12, 1988

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-07392

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Site:

Lebap Province (Lebap welaýaty)

MSN:

1G150-27

YOM:

1973

Location:

Gazojak

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After takeoff, while in initial climb, the single engine stalled and crashed. Occupant's fate unknown.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the loss of control during initial climb was the consequence of the cargo shifting in the cabin.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-154B-1 in Krasnovodsk: 11 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1988 at 0519 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-154

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-85254

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Balkan Province (Balkan welaýaty)

Schedule:

Moscow – Krasnovodsk – Ashgabat

MSN:

78A254

YOM:

1978

Flight number:

SU699

Location:

Krasnovodsk

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

137

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

15859

Aircraft flight cycles:

8082

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight from Moscow-Domodedovo, the crew started a night approach to Krasnovodsk Airport. The visibility was reduced due to the night combined with clouds down to 400 meters. The copilot was the pilot-in-command and he completed the approach at a speed of 270 km/h with flaps down at 28°. During the last segment, flaps were downed to an angle of 45° when the rate of descent increased to 10 meters per second. At a height of 30 meters, the copilot did not have visual contact with the runway but the captain decided to continue the approach. At an excessive speed of 275 km/h, the aircraft touched down 3 meters to the left of the runway centerline. It bounced, rolled for few hundred meters and came to rest on the main runway, broken in two. Eleven passengers were killed, 120 people were injured while 15 other escaped uninjured.

Probable cause:

Wrong approach configuration on part of the pilot-in-command (copilot) who continued the approach after passing the minimum descent altitude without any visual contact with the runway.
The following contributing factors were reported:
- Excessive approach speed and rate of descent,
- Poor approach planning and landing preparation,
- Lack of crew coordination,
- Lack of supervision on part of the captain,
- The crew failed to initiate a go-around procedure,
- Poor visibility due to the night and low clouds.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 in Komsomol: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 24, 1979

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-25590

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Spraying (Agricultural)

Survivors:

Ahal Province (Ahal welaýaty)

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Komsomol - Komsomol

MSN:

1G61-16

YOM:

1965

Location:

Komsomol

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a crop spraying flight in Komsomol, west of Tezhen. While flying at low height, the crew saw a flock of birds and attempted an evasive maneuver when the airplane lost height, struck a pole with its landing gear and crashed. Both pilots escaped with minor injuries while one people on the ground was killed.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40K in Chardzhou

Date & Time: Mar 20, 1979

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87930

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lebap Province (Lebap welaýaty)

Schedule:

Ashkhabad - Chardzhou

MSN:

9 74 01 56

YOM:

1977

Location:

Chardzhou

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Chardzhou Airport, at an altitude of 30-40 meters, the airplane banked left then lost height and crashed onto several datchas located in the approach path. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair but all 35 occupants survived. The flight engineer was injured. There were no injuries on the ground.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the loss of control on short final was the consequence of wake turbulences caused by a Mil-Mi 6 helicopter that was preceding the Yak-40. Investigations revealed that the controller in charge of approaches failed to respect the minimum separation between the helicopter and the Yak-40. Poor organization of ATC in Turkmenistan was considered as a contributing factor.

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

Date & Time: Oct 13, 1978

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-32515

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Mary Province (Mary welaýaty)

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

1G103-42

YOM:

1969

Location:

Mary

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances near Mary and was damaged beyond repair. There were no casualties. It appears that the total weight of the aircraft was above the MTOW at the time of the accident.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14LIK near Ashgabat: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 24, 1976 at 0735 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-61756

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Calibration

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Ashgabat - Ashgabat

MSN:

1470 012 50

YOM:

1957

Location:

Ashgabat

Ashgabat City District

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

16199

Circumstances:

After departure from Ashgabat Airport, the crew completed several circuits and calibration missions in the region of the Ashgabat Airport. While cruising at an altitude of 990 metres about 50 km from Ashgabat, the crew encountered poor weather conditions when the airplane struck the slope of Mt Uldepe (1,631 metres high). The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all six crew members were killed. The Ilyushin II-14 version LIK (Lyotno-izmeritelnyy Kompleks) is a special version for calibration mission only.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions and neglected published and approved procedures. A lack of discipline and a low visibility were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Krasnovodsk: 23 killed

Date & Time: Aug 15, 1975 at 2201 LT

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87323

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Balkan Province (Balkan welaýaty)

Schedule:

Bakou – Krasnovodsk – Ashkhabad

MSN:

9 33 02 30

YOM:

1973

Flight number:

SU053A

Location:

Krasnovodsk

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2130

Aircraft flight cycles:

1914

Circumstances:

On approach to Krasnovodsk Airport by night, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions and at an approximate altitude of 300 meters while on a distance of 5 km from the airfield, the aircraft's speed dropped from 260 km/h to 200 km/h with a rate of descent of 2,5 meters per second. The crew elected to correct this configuration but the aircraft continued to descend until it struck, at a speed of 150 km/h, a rocky cliff situated on the shore of the Caspian Sea, some 159 meters above sea level and located about 4,700 meters short of runway threshold. Upon impact, the right engine and the right wing were torn off, the aircraft bounced and then crashed in flames few dozen meters further. Two crew members and 21 passengers were killed while 15 other occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the aircraft was caught by orographic turbulence on final approach whose speed was about 30 meters per second (108 km/h). This caused the aircraft to lose altitude and speed and any correction from the flying crew was unsuccessful. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Lack of knowledge on part of the meteorologist about the characteristics of such specific climate phenomenon,
- The absence of a system able to detect such phenomenon,
- The crew inexperience in such flight conditions.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2TP in Karayman: 2 killed

Date & Time: Mar 19, 1975

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-07533

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Balkan Province (Balkan welaýaty)

Schedule:

Nebit-Dag – Burgun – Karayman

MSN:

1G152-61

YOM:

1973

Location:

Karayman

Country:

Region: