Date & Time:
May 15, 1976 at 1048 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-24
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-46534
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Vinnitsa – Moscow
MSN:
57310108
YOM:
1975
Flight number:
SU1802
Country:
Ukraine
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
6
Pax on board:
46
Pax fatalities:
46
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
52
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.
