Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

Enroute from Vnukovo to Leningrad, while cruising at an altitude of 900 meters in clouds, the right engine failed. Unfortunately, the crew was unable to feather the propeller and thus, was unable to maintain a safe altitude. The captain decided to divert to the Vypolzovo Airbase but radio contact with the base was impossible for unknown reason. Eventually, the pilot attempted an emergency landing in a potatoes field located in Ozerevo when the airplane crashed. Five crew members and two passengers were killed while 12 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Failure of the right engine in flight caused by an oil leakage due to the failure of a connection hose.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Komarovo: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 15, 1955 at 1245 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-12

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1359

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Moscow – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Khabarovsk

MSN:

30 074

YOM:

Flight number:

SU005

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

5734

Circumstances:

The aircraft was performing flight SU005 from Moscow to Khabarovsk with intermediate stops at Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk, carrying three passengers, a crew of four and a load of various goods for a total weight of 417 kilos. While cruising at an altitude of 3,000 meters, weather conditions deteriorated and the crew encountered thunderstorm activity. Due to severe turbulences, the aircraft went out of control and entered a dive. At an altitude between 500 and 1,000 meters, the airplane disintegrated in the air and all debris scattered in a field and a wooded area located in Komarovo, about 37 km south-southwest of Kansk. All seven occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the loss of control was the consequence of severe turbulences that exceeded the design of certain parts of the airplane. Poor flight preparation on part of the operator and the failure to consider the possibility of a deterioration of the weather conditions were considered as contributing factors. Also, the crew was not properly briefed about weather conditions prior to departure from Krasnoyarsk Airport.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14 in Voronezh: 25 killed

Date & Time: Aug 6, 1955 at 1518 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L5057

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Stalingrad – Moscow-Vnukovo

MSN:

4 34 04 08

YOM:

1954

Flight number:

SU214

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

824

Circumstances:

The aircraft was performing a flight from Stalingrad to Moscow-Vnukovo, carrying a crew of five and 20 passengers, among them 10 citizens (women) from Norway who met antifascist people in Stalingrad and were flying back to Moscow. While cruising at an altitude of 2,200 meters in clouds, the crew informed ATC about the failure of the right engine and obtained the permission to divert to Voronezh Airport for an emergency landing. Shortly later, the right engine caught fire and while descending to an altitude of 900 meters, the right wing failed, causing the aircraft to dive into the ground and to crash about 4 km from the runway threshold. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all 25 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the right engine was brand new and totalized 250 hours only. Despite this, the engine already suffered cracks and defaults. Investigations reported that a fuel leak occurred on the right engine enroute. Due to lack of oil, the engine overheated, caught fire and eventually exploded. The fire spread to its nacelle and then to the right wing that broke off few minutes later.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 near Birobidzhan: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 24, 1955 at 0820 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L2616

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

1 09 473 05

YOM:

Location:

Birobidzhan

Evreyskaya oblast (Jewish Autonomous oblast)

Country:

Russia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2169

Circumstances:

The single engine aircraft departed Birobidzhan Airport at 0810LT on a short cargo flight to a remote area, carrying two geophysicists, two pilots and two diesel drums. After takeoff, the aircraft climbed to 15-20 meters then the crew made a 180 turn and continued to the southwest for about 20 km. While cruising at an altitude of 600 meters, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in flames in a wooded area. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that both pilots were intoxicated at the time of the accident. They decided to start the flight without proper permission and failed to consult the weather forecast prior to departure. It was also reported that both passengers were not authorized to embark on this flight and at takeoff, the total weight of the aircraft was 4,900 kilos, 160 kilos above the MTOW.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 in Tobys

Date & Time: Jul 1, 1955 at 1454 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-A2641

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Ukhta – Syktyvkar

MSN:

1 16 473 01

YOM:

1951

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Ukhta Airport at 1442LT bound for Syktyvkar with eight passengers and a crew of two on board. About twelve minutes into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 300 meters, the engine lost power and windmilled down to 400 rpm. The crew was unable to feather the propeller and the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing in a prairie when the aircraft struck trees and crashed at the edge of a forest and some 1,200 meters from a railway road. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and all ten occupants were rescued few hours later.

Probable cause:

The engine suffered a loss of power in flight.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 in Chelyabinsk: 8 killed

Date & Time: May 16, 1955 at 1400 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L5579

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Spraying (Agricultural)

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Chelyabinsk - Chelyabinsk

MSN:

1 49 473 17

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

132

Circumstances:

The crew arrived at the Podovinnoe Farm in the Chelyabinsk region on May 12 to apply fertilizers on crops. On the evening of May 12, the crew drank a lot of vodka and red wine. There were no flight on May 13 due to poor weather conditions. On May 14 and 15, the crew completed 30 rotations each day for a total of 12 hours flight. On the evening of May 15, all four crew members went to a local hostel and again drank a lot of vodka and red wine. The captain went to bed at 0030LT, the copilot at 0255LT, the machanic at 0105LT and the flight engineer slept at the hostel. On the 16, at 0900LT, all four crew took their breakfast with vodka and red wine again. Later, the crew arrived at the airplane with four other people, among them two young girls. A local keeper elected to dissuade the crew to takeoff but without success. After takeoff at 1400LTf, the single engine aircraft climbed to a height of 60 meters then continued to a heading of 110° for about 2-3 minutes before entering a dive and crashing in a field located six km from the airstrip. The aircraft was destroyed and all eight occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

All four crew members were drunk at the time of the accident and were not able to fly. Poor discipline and responsibility on part of the crew who decided to takeoff in such conditions. Also, the crew violated the company procedures letting non authorized people to fly with.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Dniepropetrovsk: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1955 at 1216 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L4098

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Kiev – Dniepropetrovsk – Zaporozhie

MSN:

184 143 05

YOM:

1944

Flight number:

SU599

Location:

Dnipropetrovsk

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Country:

Ukraine

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

9257

Aircraft flight cycles:

15965

Circumstances:

The aircraft was performing a cargo flight from Kiev to Zaporozhie with an intermediate stop in Dniepropetrovsk, carrying a load of various goods for a total weight of 1,538 kilos, consisting of 566 kilos of mail, signal flares, brass twists and wires, and grinding wheels. On approach, at a height of 200-300 meters, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions, turbulences and strong winds when the left wing partially failed. The aircraft went out of control and crashed onto a hill located nine km short of runway. All four crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the aircraft encountered marginal weather conditions, winds up to 58 km/h and turbulences during the approach, causing the left wing to suffer a partial structural failure.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2T in Lipovets: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 23, 1955 at 0757 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L4510

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Kiev – Mykolaiv – Simferopol

MSN:

184 297 09

YOM:

1948

Flight number:

SU613

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

5070

Circumstances:

Enroute, one of the crew member opened the right cockpit window and threw away his cigarette that went into the air inlet of a ventilation system. A fire spread quickly and as the crew was unable to extinguish it, the captain decided to reduce his altitude and to attempt an emergency landing. The airplane belly landed in a snow covered field located near Lipovets, slid for few hundred meters and came to rest in flames on the iced Rosava River. Two crew members and one passenger were killed while ten other occupants were injured. The aircraft was written off.

Probable cause:

The aircraft has been subject to technical modifications on part of the Aeroflot technicians few days prior to the accident and converted to a cargo version capable to carry a maximum of 9 passengers. It was reported that several mistakes were done during this conversion, especially concerning the ventilation system air inlet that was installed in a wrong position, just behind the cockpit window instead of lower or higher. Investigations revealed that the fire spread quickly because the insulating material used failed to respond to the requirements and was unimpregnated wadding. The aircraft accumulated 73 flying hours since this conversion.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Moscow: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jan 13, 1955 at 1130 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L5000

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Moscou – Gorki – Sverdlovsk

MSN:

334 449 02

YOM:

1953

Flight number:

SU031

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2188

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Bykovo Airport, while climbing to a height of 20-30 meters, the right engine failed. The aircraft lost height, collided with trees and eventually crashed onto a house located less than one km from the airfield. The airplane burst into flames and was totally destroyed as well as the house. All five crew members were killed while no one on the ground was injured. The owner of the house just left his house three minutes before the accident. The crew was completing a mail flight to Svedlovsk with an intermediate stop in Gorki, carrying a load of 1,989 kilos of mail and newspapers.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the failure of the right engine was caused by an act of sabotage. A nut was found in the fuel line which caused the fuel pump to fail during initial climb. A similar case was detected eight days prior to the crash.