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Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Vilnius: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 17, 1959 at 0954 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-84587
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Vilnius – Riga – Saint-Petersburg
MSN:
184 315 07
YOM:
0
Flight number:
SU345
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
13210
Circumstances:
Rotation from Vilnius Airport was completed at a speed of 115 km/h. After liftoff, the airplane encountered difficulties to gain height due to a high angle of attack. In stall conditions, the aircraft lost height, causing the left wing to struck the ground. Out of control, the airplane struck a ditch and two poles before coming to rest in flames 1,400 meters past the departure point. A crew member was killed while four other crews were seriously injured. All four passengers were unhurt and the aircraft was destroyed by fire.
Probable cause:
Wrong takeoff configuration on part of the captain who departed with an insufficient speed and a too high angle of attack after liftoff. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 79 kilos above the MTOW, which was not considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14P near Boysun: 30 killed

Date & Time: Dec 13, 1959 at 0928 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-91577
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Kabul – Termez – Tashkent
MSN:
1470 014 16
YOM:
17
Flight number:
SU120
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
25
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
30
Aircraft flight hours:
3029
Circumstances:
At 0927LT, while cruising at an altitude of 3,600 meters, the radio operator informed ATC he was cruising under VFR and spotted Derbent. A minute later, while in clouds, the airplane struck the southeast slope of Mt Kushtang located about 27 km northeast of Boysun. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 30 occupants was found. All operations were abandoned one month later. The accident was officially announced by the Soviet Authorities on 19JAN1960. On 02JUN1960, alpinists found the wreckage of the airplane in a rocky and craggy area at an altitude of 3,501 meters. Among the passengers were two Chinese and three Germans, the rest of the passengers being Soviet soldiers and members of their families.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of several navigation errors on part of the flying crew who decided to cut the route, apparently to save time. The captain decided to continue under VFR in IMC conditions and at the time of the accident, the aircraft was about 40 to 50 km off course to the right of the intended route. It was not possible to distinguish the mountain that was shrouded in clouds. Also, the crew failed to take into consideration the wind component, which remains a contributing factor.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14M in Vorkuta

Date & Time: Dec 8, 1959
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-61778
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
1470 015 19
YOM:
1957
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Vorkuta Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. In low visibility, the airplane descended too low and struck the ground few dozen yards short of runway threshold. While the airplane was written off, all five crew members were evacuated.
Probable cause:
Wrong altimeter setting ont part of the flying crew who received wrong atmospheric pressure value from the ground, causing the aircraft to be too low on approach in poor weather conditions.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Irkutsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 29, 1959 at 1852 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-01426
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Mama – Kirensk – Irkoutsk
MSN:
30 257
YOM:
1948
Flight number:
V-8
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
9169
Circumstances:
On approach to Irkutsk-Intl Airport, the crew encountered foggy conditions. Despite the visibility decreased below minima, the captain continued the approach when the left wing tip struck the ground. Out of control, the airplane nosed down, struck the ground, bounced and eventually crashed 30 meters farther. The captain and the mechanic were killed while both other crew members were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. Two days later, on December 1st, the copilot died from his injuries and a day later, on December 2nd, the radio operator died as well.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the visibility suddenly dropped due to fog in the approach path and the runway threshold. Despite the situation, the captain decided to continue the approach in below-minima conditions instead of diverting to another suitable airport. Weather forecast were inaccurate and did not reflect reality, which remains a contributing factor.

Crash of an Antonov AN-10 in Lviv: 40 killed

Date & Time: Nov 16, 1959 at 1906 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-11167
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Moscou – Kiev – Lvov
MSN:
9 4 014 02
YOM:
5
Flight number:
SU315
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
32
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
40
Aircraft flight hours:
277
Circumstances:
The approach to Lviv Airport was completed by night and icing conditions with limited visibility. On final, while at an altitude of 110 meters, when the flaps were downed to 45°, the airplane nosed down and crashed in a huge explosion in a field located 2,100 meters short of runway threshold. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all 40 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control in icing conditions when the flaps were downed to 45° on approach, apparently due to an excessive accumulation of ice on wings and stabs. The distance between the aircraft and the ground was insufficient to expect a recovery.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Karaganda: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 27, 1959 at 1836 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-84746
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Omsk – Pavlodar – Ekibastuz – Karaganda
MSN:
184 288 06
YOM:
1948
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
26
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
12499
Circumstances:
On final approach to Karaganda by night, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions and low visibility. As he was unable to locate the runway, the captain decided to abandon the approach and made a go around. Few minutes later, while on a second attempt to land, the approach speed was too low. The airplane stalled, causing the right wing to struck the ground. Out of control, the airplane crashed 600 meters short of runway threshold and 71 meters to the left of its centerline. Eight people were injured and a passenger was killed while all 20 other occupants were unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The crew decided to continue the approach in below minima weather conditions (night, fog and low clouds down to 50 meters above the ground) instead of diverting to a suitable airport. It was determined that the pilot-in-command was focused on the runway location so he failed to pay attention to the instruments. Doing so, he did not realized his approach speed was insufficient during the last segment, causing the airplane to stall.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14 in Moscow: 28 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1959 at 2210 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-41806
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Baku – Makhatchkala – Astrakhan – Stalingrad – Moscow
MSN:
6 34 17 09
YOM:
31
Flight number:
SU200
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
24
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
28
Aircraft flight hours:
4945
Circumstances:
On approach to Moscow-Vnukovo, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions with clouds and limited visibility. By night, the aircraft passed below the glide until it struck tree tops and crashed in flames in a wooded area located 1,400 meters short of runway 02 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and only one passenger survived. Among those killed were the Russian composer Sergei Artyomevich Agababov aged 32.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of poor approach techniques on part of the flying crew who allowed the aircraft to descent below the glide in poor visibility until the airplane struck obstacles. Following factors were considered as contributory:
- The crew was tired and failed to observe a sufficient rest time,
- At the time of the accident, the crew was on duty since 13h50 with 5h53 cumulated flying hours,
- The pilots performances were diminished by fatigue and work overload,
- The copilot's experience was insufficient,
- Poor visibility due to the night and a cloud layer down to 60 meters from the ground.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Khalaktyrka: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 2, 1959 at 1145 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-84448
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Milkovo – Khalaktyrka
MSN:
35 02
YOM:
1949
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
9416
Circumstances:
The aircraft was performing a cargo flight from Milkovo to Khalaktyrka, carrying a crew of four and a load of 46 bags of potatoes for a total weight of 2,536 kilos. The crew started the descent in clouds and did not realize he was not following the assigned route for Khalaktyrka. At an altitude of 2,100 meters, the airplane struck the north face of Mt Aag (2,319 meters high) located 42 km north of Khalaktyrka. The wreckage was found a day later and all four crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that strong winds were blowing at 60 km/h at the time of the accident, causing the airplane to deviate 12° from the prescribed route. Due to clouds, the crew was unable to distinguish the mountain. Lack of ATC assistance was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18B in Moscow

Date & Time: Sep 2, 1959
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75676
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
189 0009 05
YOM:
1959
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
48
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 10,000 meters over the region of Voronezh, the airplane penetrated cumulonimbus area and suffered updrafts first. It climbed to 10,700 meters then encountered downdrafts and descended to 7,000 meters. The propellers on both engines number one and four were automatically feathered when new downdrafts were encountered. The airplane descended to the altitude of 2,800 meters when the crew was able to recover control of the airplane. The crew contacted ATC and obtained the permission to return to Vnukovo for an emergency landing. Following an uneventful landing, all 56 occupants (some of them injured) were evacuated and the aircraft was later declared as damaged beyond economical repair due to heavy damage to the structure. Also, it was reported that the chemical liquid stored in the toilet compartment leaked and contacted several electrical system, causing short-circuits. Several connectors were down as well as the VHF communication system.
Probable cause:
Emergency landing following in-flight downdrafts and turbulences.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Kovrik River: 9 killed

Date & Time: Aug 10, 1959 at 1225 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-54795
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Uchur - Uchur
MSN:
184 339 08
YOM:
13
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Aircraft flight hours:
9608
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Uchur in the morning on a supply mission to a geological camp located in the region of the Kovrik River. The crew successfully performed a first drop and continued along the Kovrik Valley in an attempt to make a second low pass. While cruising at low height, the captain realized he was too low and elected to return, made a sharp turn to the left when control was lost. From a height of about 20-25 meters, the aircraft bank left, stalled and crashed 1,900 meters from the drop zone. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all nine occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of poor pilot techniques and wrong decisions on part of the captain who failed to recognize that he was flying too low and at an insufficient speed while performing a sharp turn to the left in a mountainous area. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- Too low altitude to expect recovery when stall occurred,
- The crew continued the flight at an insufficient height in a mountainous area,
- Poor flight preparation,
- Wrong approach configuration.