Date & Time:
Oct 21, 1998 at 1315 LT
Type of aircraft:
Yakovlev Yak-40
Operator:
Registration:
EK-88272
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Yerevan - Krasnodar
MSN:
9 72 10 53
YOM:
1977
Country:
Armenia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
33
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
4
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll at Yerevan-Erebuni Airport, at a speed of 95 km/h, the captain saw a military bus entering the runway. He made a first turn to the right then a second to the left to avoid the collision when the right wing struck the minibus while the aircraft was at a speed of 110 km/h. Upon impact, the minibus was destroyed and the aircraft came to a halt 300 metres further with its right wing partially torn off. All 37 occupants on board the aircraft escaped uninjured. Among the 10 people on the bus, four were killed and six were seriously injured.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew was cleared for takeoff while the bus driver did to establish any contact with the tower and elected to cross the runway without prior permission or traffic check. It was reported that ATC was not aware of the presence of the minibus at this time.
