Date & Time:
Feb 6, 1970 at 1542 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-18
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75798
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Tashkent - Samarkand
MSN:
182 0043 03
YOM:
1962
Flight number:
SU045
Country:
Uzbekistan
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
7
Pax on board:
98
Pax fatalities:
85
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
92
Aircraft flight hours:
12885
Aircraft flight cycles:
4968
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Tashkent at an altitude of 5,100 meters, the crew was cleared to descent to 2,700 then 2,400 meters. While approaching Samarkand Airport, the crew encountered poor visibility with low clouds. At an altitude of 1,500 meters, in a nose-down attitude of 16° and at a speed of 380 km/h, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located 32 km northeast of the airport. The copilot and 13 passengers were rescued while 92 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the accident was the consequence of the combination of several factors, among them:
- Poor ATC assistance and wrong instructions on part of the approach controller who cleared the crew to descent prematurely as he thought the position of the aircraft was 31 km from airport while it's real position was estimated between 42 and 44 km,
- Lack of visibility due to clouds,
- The flying crew failed to double-check his position after being cleared to descend and continued in clouds.
- Poor ATC assistance and wrong instructions on part of the approach controller who cleared the crew to descent prematurely as he thought the position of the aircraft was 31 km from airport while it's real position was estimated between 42 and 44 km,
- Lack of visibility due to clouds,
- The flying crew failed to double-check his position after being cleared to descend and continued in clouds.
