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Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Namtsev: 20 killed

Date & Time: Dec 27, 1951 at 0426 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4228
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Yakutsk – Vilyuisk
MSN:
18421601
YOM:
1945
Location:
Namtsev
Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
20
Aircraft flight hours:
4429
Circumstances:
On a flight from Yakutsk to Vilyuisk when the crew selected fuel supply from the left rear tank but forgot to switch to another tank when the left rear tank ran empty. Both engines stopped 31 minutes into the flight so the crew tried to make an emergency landing in the valley of the river Taras located near Namtsev, about 90 km north of Yakutsk. Unfortunately, the crew set the propellers on high pitch and lowered the landing gear too early so the aircraft did not make it to the valley, stalled and crashed into a wooded area some 200 meters from an open area. All 20 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Engine failure caused by a fuel exhaustion due to poor management of the fuel supply system on part of the crew. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- Poor flight organization,
- Poor crew coordination,
- Several wrong decisions were taken by the flying crew during flight.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Novosibirsk: 23 killed

Date & Time: Nov 17, 1951 at 1623 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1775
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Novosibirsk – Moscow
MSN:
9 301 31 12
YOM:
21
Location:
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
19
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
23
Aircraft flight hours:
2007
Circumstances:
Due to the arrival of additional passengers coming from Yakutsk, a second flight was organized from Novosibirsk to Moscow. Snow falls all day and about 15 mm of ice accumulated on all aircraft. During taxiing, an additional layer of 8 to 10 mm of snow accumulated on the airplane. The takeoff run was considered as normal and after rotation, the airplane climbed to a height of about 100 meters and then stalled and crashed in a huge explosion about 900 meters past the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 23 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the aircraft was covered by ice and snow and that the following areas were polluted and contaminated by ice and snow: leading edges, trailing edges, ailerons, wings, fuselage, tail and stabs. In such conditions, the aircraft was unable to climb in a safely manner. The following findings were pointed out:
- The crew neglected some procedures referring to the flight preparation,
- The crew failed to check the aircraft prior to departure and failed to provide an appropriate deicing procedure,
- Poor flight preparation and organisation,
- Poor weather conditions,
- Lack of appropriate measures taken to clean the aircraft before takeoff.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Sverdlovsk: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 11, 1951 at 0340 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4416
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Sochi – Krasnodar – Rostov-on-Don – Voronezh – Penza – Kazan – Sverdlovsk
MSN:
184 285 02
YOM:
28
Flight number:
SU521
Location:
Sverdlovsk
Sverdlovsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
4169
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Kazan Airport at 2250LT in good weather conditions bound for Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport. The crew was cleared to climb to 3,000 meters and later, encountered marginal weather conditions with clouds, icing conditions and light snow. In such conditions, the crew requested permission to reduce his altitude and descended to 1,800 meters in icing conditions. The radio operator tried several times to contact ATC in Koltsovo without success. Unable to locate his position due to low visibility and the failure of the radiocompas, the crew lost his orientation and due to a imminent fuel exhaustion, the captain decided to attempt an emergency belly landing. The airplane hit trees and crashed in a prairie located about 70 km west of Sverdlovsk and was damaged beyond repair. All 10 occupants were wounded and the copilot died from his injuries a day later.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the accident resulted from a loss of orientation on part of the crew leading to an emergency landing attempt due to exhausted fuel reserves. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- weather conditions deteriorated en route with icing conditions that were not reported in the weather forecast bulletin transmitted to the crew prior to departure,
- malfunction or failure of the radiocompas and a communication antenna, probably due to icing conditions,
- negligence on part of the crew who failed to follow the procedures for a radiocompas navigation, failed to perform the appropriate heading and tracking calculations and failed to refer to the direction-finding (ADF) values,
- failure of the air traffic controller who authorized the crew to climb to the altitude of 3,000 meters with the presence of severe icing conditions,
- crew fatigue due to a near 14 consecutive hours duty time,
- a copilot was refused on board before departure due to intoxication and the captain decided to do the flight without him. As a result, the flight was started with a limited crew which was also considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Serkovo: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 1, 1951 at 0931 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4775
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Turukhansk – Igarka
MSN:
184 340 04
YOM:
20
Flight number:
SU033
Location:
Serkovo
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
1470
Circumstances:
The crew left Turukhansk Airport in the morning in marginal weather conditions consisting of rain falls and a visibility estimated between 4 and 10 km. About 115 km north of Turukhansk, the visibility dropped to one km and the pilot-in-command modified his route and decided to reduce his altitude to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft hit tree tops with its left wing. It continued for one km then banked left and crashed in a dense wooded area located about 25 km north of the village of Serkovo. All four crew members and two passengers were killed while 9 other passengers were injured, three seriously.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew decided to fly under visual flight rules in IFR conditions and below minima. Also, the pilot-in-command modified his route without prior permission, which was considered as a contributory factor.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 in Gorbovichi: 5 killed

Date & Time: Sep 7, 1951 at 1121 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-A2583
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Kiev – Byshev – Borodyanka – Kiev
MSN:
1 00 473 02
YOM:
30
Location:
Gorbovichi
Kiev oblast
Country:
Ukraine
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
972
Circumstances:
The crew consisting of two pilots and three instructors left Kiev-Zhuliany Airport at 0936LT on a training mission to Byshev, Borodyanka and back to Zhuliany. While cruising west of Kiev at an altitude of 1,000 meters in good weather conditions, the aircraft went out of control, lost several pieces and went into a dive. At a height of 50 meters, three crew members bailed out and the aircraft crashed at an angle of descent of 35 to 40° in a field located in Gorbovichi, about 24 km west of Kiev. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact, several debris were scattered on a large area and all five crew members were killed. Unfortunately, the three crew members who bailed out were also killed as the distance with the ground was insufficient.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the loss of control was due to the failure of the wings' structure and several other parts of the fuselage due to a faulty design of the aircraft and unacceptable manufacturing defaults.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Vilyuisk: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 12, 1951 at 0702 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4314
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Vilyuisk - Yakutsk
MSN:
18427409
Location:
Vilyuisk
Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Vilyuisk Airport, while climbing, the left engine failed. The crew was able to shut down the engine and to feather the propeller and decided to return to the airport for a safe landing. After completing a circuit, the airplane was approaching the airfield when it stalled and crashed in a field. Two passengers were killed while 14 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine after liftoff due to a technical problem on the regulator. However, it was determined that the crew failed to take the appropriate actions and due to a lack of coordination, completed the approach in a wrong configuration with a too low speed, causing the aircraft to stall. A recovery was impossible due to an insufficient distance between the airplane and the ground. It appears that the captain and the second pilot who was acting as an instructor on this flight and was seating in the right seat did not have sufficient skills to operate in such situation with one engine inoperative.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 in Russia: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 21, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-A2597
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Kyzyl – Abakan
MSN:
1 06 473 07
YOM:
28
Location:
Russia
All Russia
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
102
Circumstances:
The aircraft left Kyzyl Airport at 1205LT bound for Abakan, carrying a load of 485 kilos of furring. A minute after takeoff, the local weather center received an alert about a possible snowstorm. As the aircraft failed to arrive in Abakan, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the four crew members was found. It was determined that weather conditions were poor at the time of the accident.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2T in Mama: 8 killed

Date & Time: Apr 8, 1951 at 1340 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4467
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Kirensk – Ust-Kut – Mama – Kirensk
MSN:
4002
YOM:
28
Location:
Mama
Irkutsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Aircraft flight hours:
2667
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a cargo flight to Mama, carrying a load of fish. While descending to a height of 1,500 meters, the crew received the permission to complete the final approach visually when the airplane hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located 18 km north of the airport. All eight crew members were killed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were marginal with low clouds, snow falls, turbulences and icing conditions.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the visibility was insufficient at the time of the accident and the pilot in command descended too low without any visual contact with the obstacles. Ground assistance on part of the ATC was not efficient, which was considered as a contributory factor.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12P in Moscow: 3 killed

Date & Time: Mar 29, 1951 at 2057 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1313
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Moscow - Moscow
MSN:
30019
YOM:
3
Location:
Moscow-Vnukovo
Moscow oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
1278
Circumstances:
The airplane left Moscow-Vnukovo at 1535LT for a local test flight, carrying eight crew members, pilots and engineers. After departure, the crew lost his orientation due to poor weather conditions. At this time, the ceiling was about 100 meters with an horizontal visibility estimated between 2 and 4 km. Despite the situation, the crew continued the flight and flew over the capital city for few hours, completing the test program. Weather conditions worsened during the flight, the visibility dropped to 400 meters with fog and rain. On a night approach to runway 24, the aircraft was misaligned and the pilot in command decided to make a go around. Few minutes later, while on a second approach to land, the aircraft was too low and hit trees located 1,275 meters short of runway 24, stalled and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed and all eight occupants were seriously injured. The captain, the copilot and the flight engineer died from their injuries few hours later.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew took the decision to carry a test flight while the weather conditions were below minima. Also, a direction finder was out of service when the crew started the flight, which contributed to the loss of orientation after takeoff. The following factors were considered as contributory:
- violation of the operator procedures on part of the flying crew,
- lack of discipline on part of the flying crew,
- poor weather conditions (below minima),
- overconfidence and arrogance on part of the captain,
- violation of the published navigation rules.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Iskra: 12 killed

Date & Time: Mar 25, 1951 at 0442 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lisunov LI-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L4790
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Irkutsk – Chita – Yakutsk
MSN:
184 341 04
YOM:
0
Flight number:
SU451
Location:
Irkutsk
Irkutsk oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Aircraft flight hours:
1026
Circumstances:
The aircraft left Irkutsk Airport at 0431LT in poor weather conditions with an horizontal visibility of 2 km in snow falls, low cloud base, turbulences and icing conditions. After its departure, the airplane failed to follow the prescribed flight path and few minutes later, at an altitude of 1,500 meters, the right engine caught fire. The crew decided to feather the propeller and to return to the airport. Approximately 10 to 15 seconds later, while losing altitude, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed inverted in a wooded area located 4 km north of the village of Iskra, about 20 km east of Irkutsk. As the aircraft failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were conducted and the wreckage was found in an isolated area 10 days later, on April 4. A passenger was found seriously injured while 12 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the third cylinder of the right engine failed in flight, causing the engine to catch fire. With one engine inoperative and flying in icing conditions and turbulences, the aircraft was unable to maintain height, hit trees and crashed. The board determined that the following factors were considered as contributory:
- lack of visibility due to poor weather,
- icing conditions and turbulences,
- poor maintenance of the right engine regarding the 50 hours periodic inspection procedure,
- poor quality of the third cylinder,
- improper adjustment of the exhaust valve,
- the pilot-in-command voluntarily modified the crew prior to take-off and requested the presence of a copilot who was not licensed to fly a Lisunov LI-2 but only a Polikarpov PO-2,
- because of his inexperience on this type of aircraft, the copilot was unable to assist the captain in a complexe flight situation,
- the crew was tired and intoxicated after consuming alcohols prior to takeoff.
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