Date & Time:
Sep 30, 1973 at 2037 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-104
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-42506
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Sverdlovsk – Omsk – Novosibirsk – Chita – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok
MSN:
0 2 19 04
YOM:
1960
Flight number:
SU3932
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
8
Pax on board:
100
Pax fatalities:
100
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
108
Aircraft flight hours:
20582
Aircraft flight cycles:
9412
Circumstances:
After takeoff by night from Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport, the crew was cleared to climb to 1,500 meters and initiated a left turn as instructed by ATC. The airplane first banked left to an angle of 35-40° and at an altitude of 1,200 meters, the left angle increased to 75-80° when control was lost. The airplane entered a dive and crashed in a huge explosion in a wooded area located 10 km from the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and none of the 108 occupants survived the crash. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were considered as marginal with a visibility limited to 6 km, overcast 800 feet, wind from northwest at 15 knots and light rain.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the loss of control during initial climb was the consequence of the failure of artificial horizons as a result of a malfunction of the on-board electrical system. The combination of night, lack of visibility and flight instruments failure caused the pilot to suffer a spatial disorientation and the eventual loss of control.
