Date & Time:
Aug 2, 1988
Type of aircraft:
Yakovlev Yak-40
Operator:
Registration:
LZ-DOK
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Sofia - Varna
MSN:
9 62 02 47
YOM:
1976
Country:
Bulgaria
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
33
Pax fatalities:
26
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
29
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll on runway 09 at Sofia-Vrazhdebna Airport, the three engine aircraft was unable to rotate and failed to become airborne. It overran and crashed in a ditch, bursting into flames. Eight occupants were seriously injured while 29 others were killed. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the Sofia Airport should be momentarily closed to traffic because the Presidential Tupolev TU-154 of the Republic of Bulgaria was scheduled to takeoff with the Bulgarian President Todor Zhivkov on board. Large delays were expected so ATC cleared the crew to take off but asked him to expedite takeoff. In a certain confusion and in the rush, the crew failed to follow the pre-takeoff checklist and forgot to set the trim correctly. As the stabilizer was incorrectly set in the down position, the aircraft was unable to rotate and overran the runway before crashing.
