Ukraine

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-46722

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Kiev-Zhuliany-Igor Sikorsky

Schedule:

Chernivtsi - Kiev

MSN:

3 73 003 02

YOM:

1963

Flight number:

SU36N

Location:

Kiev oblast

Country:

Ukraine

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

27244

Aircraft flight cycles:

24754

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight from Chernivtsi, the crew started the descent to Kiev-Zhuliany Airport in limited visibility due to foggy conditions and snow. On final approach, at a distance of 2,500 metres from runway threshold, the airplane descended below the glideslope. The crew continued the approach and passed below the decision height while he did not have the runway in sight. The airplane struck the concrete base of the inner marker located 1,265 metres short of runway, rolled for 115 metres and crashed on a railway embankment. Seven occupants were seriously injured while 48 others were killed. At the time of the accident, the horizontal visibility was 600 metres and the vertical visibility was 50 metres.

Probable cause:

Wrong approach configuration on part of the flying crew who descended below the decision height without any visual contact with the runway in limited visibility until the aircraft contacted ground. Deficiencies and inadequacies by ATC at Kiev-Zhuliany Airport were considered as contributing factors as informations transmitted to the crew did not reflect the truth.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 near Zaporozhie: 5 killed

Date & Time: Dec 16, 1976 at 1308 LT

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87638

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Zaporozhie - Zaporozhie

MSN:

9 14 19 19

YOM:

1971

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

5762

Aircraft flight cycles:

6627

Circumstances:

The crew departed Zaporozhie Airport at 1257LT on a local training flight. About 11 minutes later, while cruising at an altitude of 2,100 metres in marginal weather conditions, the crew informed ATC that he was losing height when the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a 25-30° nose down attitude and a 6° left bank in a field located 20 km northwest of Zaporozhie Airport and 1,400 metres from the Novogupalovka Station. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all five occupants have been killed.

Probable cause:

Loss of control due to insufficient speed while the crew was practicing stabilizer trim change. The aircraft stalled due to poor piloting techniques and a probable wrong interpretation of the indicator airspeed value.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 off Syvash

Date & Time: Jul 11, 1976

Type of aircraft:

PZL-Mielec AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-62439

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

1G41-09

YOM:

1963

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances into the Syvash lagoon while flying below-minima weather conditions. There were no casualties.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24RV in Viktorivka: 52 killed

Date & Time: May 15, 1976 at 1048 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-46534

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Vinnitsa – Moscow

MSN:

57310108

YOM:

1975

Flight number:

SU1802

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2976

Aircraft flight cycles:

2328

Circumstances:

On a flight from Vinnitsa to Moscow-Bykovo, while cruising at an altitude of 5,700 meters, the crew disengaged the autopilot system when the sliding cylinder of the MP-100 rudder trimming device deployed by 22.5 mm immediately, causing the rudder to move to the right, reaching the maximum position of 25° within one second. The aircraft went out of control, entered a spin and crashed at a speed of 350 km/h and a nose-down attitude of 50° in a field located 500 metres southeast of Viktorivka, 14.8 km southeast of Chernihiv Airport. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all 52 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Failure of the rudder trimming device during cruise flight. This may have been caused by a technical issue on the electrical system or an unintended pressure of the trim control switch by one of the crew members while the autopilot system was still ON.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Kharkiv: 19 killed

Date & Time: Nov 20, 1975 at 1938 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-46349

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Mineralnye Vody - Rostov-on-Don - Kharkiv - Gomel

MSN:

97305708

YOM:

1969

Flight number:

SU7950

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

9445

Aircraft flight cycles:

8146

Circumstances:

The crew started the approach to Kharkiv Airport by night and a limited visibility. He was cleared to descend by ATC when, at a speed of 270 km/h, the airplane struck tree tops, stalled and crashed on the slope of a wooded hill located 12 km short of runway threshold. A crew member and 18 passengers were killed while 31 other occupants were injured, some of them seriously. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the accident was the consequence of ATC error who transmitted to the crew a wrong barometric pressure of 757 mm instead of 737 mm, causing the aircraft to descend 220 meters too low. The crew was also blamed as he failed to react to the warning horn coupled to the ground proximity warning system that sounded for 23 second prior to impact.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24RV in Poltava

Date & Time: Apr 25, 1975

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-46476

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

2 73 080 04

YOM:

1972

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On approach to Poltava Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to low clouds and local patches of fog. Unable to locate the runway, the captain decided to abandon the approach and initiated a go-around. Few minutes later, during a second attempt to land, while descending to a height of 50-60 meters, the airplane entered a patch of fog and visual contact with the ground was lost. Despite the situation, the pilot-in-command continued the approach until the airplane struck the ground and crashed 2,130 metres short of runway threshold. All 11 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Poor approach planning on part of the crew who failed to properly monitor the instruments during an approach completed in marginal weather conditions, and failure of the crew to discontinue the approach after visual contact was lost.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Zaporozhie

Date & Time: Jan 28, 1975

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87825

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Zaporozhie - Ternopol

MSN:

9 24 17 24

YOM:

1972

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was cleared of snow prior to departure but as it was snowing continuously, the aircraft was again covered by snow between the moment it was deiced and the takeoff procedure. During the takeoff roll in poor weather conditions (snowfall and poor visibility), the pilot-in-command started the rotation. The aircraft lifted off and climbed for few meters when the left wing dropped, causing the left main gear to struck the runway surface. The airplane landed back and the crew decided to attempt an emergency braking procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran and the left wing collided with the building of a meteorological post located 25 metres behind the runway threshold. All 3 crew and 14 passengers escaped unhurt.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the aircraft was contaminated with snow during the takeoff procedure and that the stabs were positioned in a -5,9° angle instead of the prescribed -3,9°.

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

Date & Time: Dec 8, 1974

Type of aircraft:

PZL-Mielec AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-05783

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

1G154-23

YOM:

1974

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The takeoff procedure was completed with an aircraft being low on fuel. After takeoff, the airplane crashed near the airport. There were no injuries.

Probable cause:

The crew took off with insufficient fuel in tanks.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14M in Kiev: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 14, 1974 at 1528 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-91515

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Calibration

Survivors:

Site: