Crash of an Antonov AN-2T in Serov

Date & Time: Mar 6, 1973
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-93467
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Sverdlovsk – Serov – Ivdel – Ust-Manya
MSN:
1 31 473 05
YOM:
1953
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The engine failed in flight, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a field in Serov and was damaged beyond repair. There were no casualties.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a Douglas DC-9-32 in La Planche: 68 killed

Date & Time: Mar 5, 1973 at 1352 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
EC-BII
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Palma de Majorca - London
MSN:
47077/148
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
IB504
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
61
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
68
Captain / Total flying hours:
6612
Captain / Total hours on type:
823.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3378
Copilot / Total hours on type:
2278
Aircraft flight hours:
10852
Aircraft flight cycles:
9452
Circumstances:
Iberia Flight 504, a DC-9, departed Palma de Majorca at 11:24 for a flight to London. At 12:19 the crew contacted Marina Control and reported at FL310, estimating at Nantes VOR at 12:52. At 12:36 the crew were told to contact Menhir Control and descend to FL290. At the same time a Spantax Convair CV-990, flight BX400 heading for London, was flying towards the Nantes VOR on the same altitude, but on a different airway. Because of this, the Convair crew were instructed arrive at the VOR at 13:00. Because the Convair was already quite close to the VOR the crew asked for confirmation of these instructions. At 12:40 the controller told them to 'Stand by' and replied two minutes later. Because the aircraft was at the ATC sector boundary the crew could barely hear the Marina controller who instructed them to contact Menhir control. The pilot erroneously thought he had to contact Menhir control when passing the Nantes VOR. In order to delay their arrival at the VOR the Spantax crew twice tried to request permission to carry out a 360-degree turn. When they did not get any answer from Marina, they initiated the turn without clearance. While in the midst of an overcast, the Convair collided with the DC-9. The CV-990 lost an outboard portion of its left wing and managed to carry out an emergency landing at Cognac-Châteaubernard Air Base (CNG). The DC-9 lost control and crashed. The air traffic control system had been taken over that day by military personnel because of a strike of the civilian controllers. The wreckage of the DC-9 was found in La Planche, about 25 km southeast of Nantes. All 68 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
The Clement Marot Plan, the military contingency system to replace the civil air traffic services units in the event of a strike, by the very reason of its exceptional nature implied the use of rigorous planning traffic limitation per sector on the basis of control capacity and particularly strict compliance with the special regulations of the RAC-7 plan. The assignment of the same flight level by the control to the two aircraft IB 504 and BX 400, due to arrive at Nantes at the same time, created a source of conflict. The solution chosen by Menhir to resolve the conflict was based on separation in time. This solution, because of the reduction in normal separation, necessitated either particularly precise navigation by the crew of BX 400 or complete radar coverage and, in both cases, trouble-free communication facilities, conditions which were not realized. The continuing progress of the flight was affected by delays attributable in part to the control, in part to the crew and also to difficulty in air/ground radio communications resulting in complete failure of the crew and the control to understand one another. At the critical juncture, the crew, unmindful of their exact position, commenced a turn in order to lose time, without having been able to obtain the agreement of the control, as a result of which the aircraft interesected the adjacent route. The unidentified aircraft whose return appeared on the radar scope of one of the Menhir sub-sectors was' not identified by Menhir control as BX 400.
Final Report:

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V in Moscow: 25 killed

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1973 at 1245 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
LZ-BEM
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Sofia - Moscow
MSN:
182 0056 02
YOM:
1962
Flight number:
LZ307
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Circumstances:
During an approach to Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport in marginal weather conditions, the crew initiated a go-around for unknown reason. During the second approach, at a distance of 5 km from the runway 07 threshold, the crew was informed by ATC that his position was 15 meters below the glide. Shortly later, the airplane nosed down then crashed in a huge explosion 4,330 meters short of runway. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 25 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The commission considered that the most probable cause of the accident was an adverse combination of the following factors:
- Icing of the stabilizer (probably due to lack of heating in the leading edge),
- A pitch manoeuvre executed to correct a deviation from the glide path which resulted in a g-loading of 0,6 - 0,5,
- Extension of the flaps to the full landing setting, which had the effect of degrading the airflow over the lower surface of the stabilizer and, consequently, of producing loads on the control column which promoted a further increase in the negative g-loading and prevented recovery of the aircraft from the developing nosedive.
Owing the destruction of the aircraft it was not possible to check the actual functioning of the stabilizer deicing system.
Final Report:

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Semipalatinsk: 32 killed

Date & Time: Feb 28, 1973 at 1859 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-87602
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Semipalatinsk-Ust-Kamenogorsk
MSN:
9120118
YOM:
1971
Flight number:
SU167X
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
29
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
32
Aircraft flight hours:
1798
Aircraft flight cycles:
1814
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Semipalatinsk Airport, while climbing to a height of 100 meters, the airplane lots height then struck the ground in a relative flat attitude and crashed in a huge explosion in a snow covered field located 1,457 meters past the runway end. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 32 occupants were killed, among them 11 female members of the Kyzylorda Basketball Team accompanied by their coach and one judge.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. Eyewitnesses among them the air traffic controller working in the tower saw a huge flash in the sky prior to the accident. Various analysis did not find any trace of explosives.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 100 near Nabire: 13 killed

Date & Time: Feb 28, 1973
Operator:
Registration:
PK-NUC
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
MSN:
70
YOM:
1967
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous area located about 45 km east of Nabire. All 13 occupants have been killed.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V near Leninabad: 79 killed

Date & Time: Feb 24, 1973 at 0737 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75712
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Dushanbe - Leninabad - Moscow
MSN:
189 0018 04
YOM:
1959
Flight number:
SU630
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
71
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
79
Aircraft flight hours:
20404
Aircraft flight cycles:
9590
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 6,600 meters, the crew received the permission to descent to 4,500 meters when the automatic pilot system was deactivated. Suddenly, the airplane banked left to an angle of 90° then entered a dive. At an altitude of 2,200 meters, due to excessive g loads, the left wing separated and the aircraft caught fire. Out of control, it crashed at a speed of 840 km/h in an open field located 8,4 km southeast of Buston Station, about 38 km northwest of Leninabad Airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 79 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that the loss of control, that occurred just after the automatic pilot system has been deactivated, was caused by the failure of an attitude indicator was not ruled out.

Crash of a Boeing 727-224 near Ismailia: 108 killed

Date & Time: Feb 21, 1973 at 1411 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5A-DAH
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Tripoli – Benghazi – Cairo – Bahrain
MSN:
20244/650
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
LN114
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
104
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
108
Circumstances:
Flight 114 was an international scheduled service from Tripoli to Bahrain with intermediate stops in Benghazi and Cairo. On board were 104 passengers and a crew of nine, five from Air France, among them the captain, Mr. Jacques Bourgès, aged 42. Normally, the Benghazi – Cairo route was flown eastwards along the Libyan coast until reaching the city of Sidi Barrani in Egypt, where the airway turned inland to the VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) and Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) area located west of Lake Qarun. The entry to the Cairo terminal area was made on a north-easterly heading over a 71-nautical-mile (131 km) long path that separated Lake Qarun from the Cairo VOR. At 13:45 the Cairo traffic control (CTC) saw the aircraft approaching from the west. Permission was granted to land in runway 23. CTC surprisingly saw the Boeing heading eastward towards the Suez Canal at 13:50. Evidence from both the recovered Boeing 727 voice recorders and the Israeli authorities' flight data recorder later showed that the Libyan aircraft was likely to had been already off course when it reported its position over Qarun, probably due to strong westerly upper-level winds associated to a low level sandstorm. The crew was forced to rely on instrument navigation because of this sandstorm. Both instrument and navigational error caused the aircraft to go off course, entering airspace dominated by Israel when flying over the Sinai Peninsula. By this time the aircraft had been lost from the Egyptian air traffic control. The crew believed they were close to the destination airport and started the descent. At 13:55 the aircraft was detected in the radar by the Israelis as it was entering Israeli airspace; it was located south-east of Suez at an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,600 m). Two Israeli Air Force Phantoms were sent to intercept the then unidentified aircraft. Following the re-establishment of communications with CTC the pilot of the Libyan aircraft looked through the cabin's port window and saw the fighters, but he mistook them for Egyptian MiGs. The Libyan aircraft continued flying deeper into the Sinai at a speed of 325 miles per hour (523 km/h), but it suddenly veered to the west. It was at that time that the Boeing's crew realised they were having problems with their instruments. The Israeli fighter pilots attempted to make visual contact with the passenger airliner's crew, and tried to communicate to them by signaling with their hands and dipping their wings. The 727 crew's response was interpreted as a denial of that request. The 727 adopting a westward course was interpreted by the Israeli pilots as an attempt to flee. The Israeli Phantom pilots fired bursts from their 20 mm M61 cannons, severely damaging the airliner's control surfaces, hydraulic systems, and wing structure. Flight 114 attempted an emergency landing in an area covered with sand dunes, but crashed, with an explosion near the right main landing gear. Four passengers and the copilot survived while 108 other occupants were killed. The copilot later said that the flight crew knew the Israeli jets wanted them to land but relations between Israel and Libya made them decide against following instructions. In direct contradiction to the co-pilot's own account, the Libyan government stated that the attack occurred without warning. Israel's air force perceived Flight 114 as a security threat, and that among the possible tasks it could have been undertaking was an aerial spy mission over the Israeli air base at Bir Gifgafa. The Israeli government also revealed that LN114 was shot down with the personal authorization of David Elazar, the Israeli Chief of Staff. Israel's argument was that the heightened security situation and the erratic behaviour of the jet's crew made the actions taken prudent. The United Nations did not take any action against Israel. The 30 member nations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted to censure Israel for the attack. The United States did not accept the reasoning given by Israel, and condemned the incident. Israel's Defense Minister, Moshe Dayan, called it an "error of judgment", and Israel paid compensation to the victims' families.
Probable cause:
Shot down by two Israel Air Force fighters.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-70-DL on Mt Horqueta: 22 killed

Date & Time: Feb 21, 1973
Registration:
HP-560
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
David - Changuinola
MSN:
19242
YOM:
1943
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
25
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
22
Circumstances:
En route from David to Changuinola, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Horqueta located north of Los Naranjos. Six occupants survived while 22 others were killed.
Probable cause:
It is believed the accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-154 in Prague: 66 killed

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1973 at 1006 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-85023
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Prague
MSN:
72A023
YOM:
1972
Flight number:
SU141
Region:
Crew on board:
13
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
87
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
66
Captain / Total flying hours:
12650
Captain / Total hours on type:
236.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
14650
Copilot / Total hours on type:
247
Aircraft flight hours:
459
Aircraft flight cycles:
261
Circumstances:
The aircraft took off at 0650 GMT on a scheduled flight Moscow - Prague. Over the territory of the USSR the flight proceeded at 10 000 m, and this altitude was increased over the Romanian People's Republic to 10 650 m. Over Warsaw the aircraft was cleared to descend to 9 400 m, and near the Czechoslovak frontier it was cleared again to 8 850. The frontier was crossed at 6 700 m, the crew complying with all instructions. At 0854 GMT the aircraft reported overhead OKX that it had descended from 7 200 m to 6 700 m. Prague ACC cleared it to continue descent to 2 450 m and tune to Rodnice (RCE) VOR. At 0856 GMT the aircraft was instructed to maintain a track which would keep it in the middle of the airway. At 0900 GMT the aircraft reported overhead Rodnice at 2 450 m and was instructed to change over to the approach frequency 121.4 MHz. The aircraft at once contacted approach control and was cleared to fly via MO until it intercepted the approach beacon, then to descend to 1 200 m and report when crossing 1 500 m. The crew complied with these instructions. At 0902 GMT the aircraft reported descending through 1 500 m on a 135O heading and was instructed to change over to the ATC radar frequency. On this frequency it was cleared to continue flying to the ILS approach beacon, was given priority to land on Runway 25 and instructed to descend to 500 m on QFE 730.1 mm. At 0904 GMT the aircraft was cleared to descend to 350 rn on QFE and was informed that it was 2 km off the course line. After 40 seconds the radar controller informed the aircraft that it was correctly aligned and 15 km from the aerodrome, and at 0905 GMT he instructed the aircraft to switch over to the TWR frequency. After changeover the aircraft reported to TWR that it was approaching to land. TWR cleared it to land on Runway 25 and reported a change in the wind direction and speed to 250' - 4 m/s. At 0906 GMT, at its own request, the aircraft was given runway braking coefficient 5 and again cleared to land. This data was acknowledged by the aircraft at 0906.30 GMT, and this was the last contact with it. The aircraft flew the correct heights and headings and did not report any defects or trouble on the ATC frequencies. The descent to land proceeded normally along the ILS glide path up to the vicinity of the "L" marker. Near this aid the aircraft suddenly ducked under the glide path, continued to descend at an average angle of 4.62° to the glide path and struck the ground with the nosewheel at a point 467 m before the threshold of Runway 25. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and was also destroyed by a post crash fire. Four stewardesses and 62 passengers were killed, 18 occupants were seriously injured and 16 were uninjured.
Probable cause:
Owing to the high degree of destruction and total disintegration of the aircraft in the crash and ensuing fire it was not possible to establish the precise cause of the accident. The influence of unexpected atmospheric turbulence during the aircraft's final approach cannot be entirely ruled out.
Final Report:

Crash of an Antonov AN-12B in Amderma

Date & Time: Feb 17, 1973
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-11341
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
4 017 02
YOM:
1963
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
For unknown reason, the four engine aircraft landed hard. On touchdown, the right main gear collapsed. The aircraft went out of control, veered off runway to the right and came to rest into deep snow. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.