Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Gelendzhik – Sukhumi

MSN:

78 11 01

YOM:

1977

Flight number:

SU96G

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1895

Aircraft flight cycles:

3747

Circumstances:

The twin engine airplane departed Gelendzhik Airport at 1325LT on a schedule service to Sukhumi, Georgia, carrying 16 passengers and two pilots. Weather at that time was marginal with rain falls and a relative low ceiling. Four minutes after takeoff, at 1329LT, the crew informed ATC he was leaving the airport area and his position was about 12 km from the airport at an altitude of 450 meters. Six minutes later, while flying in clouds, the airplane struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located 22 km southeast of Gelendzhik Airport, bursting into flames. The burned wreckage was found three days later, on January 10, near Praskoveyevka, at an altitude of 350 meters. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 18 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew decided to continue the flight under VFR mode in adverse weather conditions and also failed to consider the wind component. This caused the aircraft to drift off course by 3,7 km to a mountainous area. While cruising in clouds at an insufficient altitude, the airplane contacted trees and crashed.

Crash of an Antonov AN-26 in Yeniseysk: 2 killed

Date & Time: Dec 23, 1981 at 1759 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-26

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-26505

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

67 01

YOM:

1978

Flight number:

SU22237

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

4686

Aircraft flight cycles:

4237

Circumstances:

The airplane was completing a cargo flight to Yeniseysk, carrying six crew members, a passenger in charge of the cargo and a load of 1,042 kilos of sausages, 1,200 kilos of meat, 550 kilos of haring and 2,152 kilos of oranges. The approach was initiated by night and poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to snow falls. On final, approach lights were turned on when the crew saw trees. The captain decided to gain height and increased engine power when the airplane struck trees located on the top of a hill, stalled and crashed in a wooded area located 105 meters to the right of the inner marker and 1,140 meters from the runway threshold. Two crew members were killed while five other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the navigator, the radio operator and the mechanic were intoxicated at the time of the accident. The flight engineer and the navigator failed to follow the approach procedures, probably due to the influence of alcohol. The navigator failed to maintain the calculated rate of descent and altitude, failed to report about what has been achieved in terms of visibility CDF earth landmarks. The mechanic failed to report the airspeed and the altitude in reference of the radio altimeter until 60 meters above the ground. Poor crew coordination and the fact that the captain failed to initiate a go-around procedure were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2TP near Deputatsky

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1981 at 1421 LT

Type of aircraft:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-92858

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Keperveem – Chersky – Chokurdakh – Deputatsky

MSN:

1G53-10

YOM:

1965

Location:

Deputatsky

Country:

Russia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

10619

Aircraft flight cycles:

12829

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a special flight from Keperveem to Deputatsky with intermediate stops in Chersky and Chokurdakh. After takeoff from Chokurdakh, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and lost his orientation. The aircraft deviated from the prescribed route by 110 km. As the airplane ran out of fuel, the crew attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crash landed about 13 km from Deputatsky. All three crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew failed to calculate properly the wind component en route from Chokurdakh to Deputatsky, causing the aircraft to be off course. Due to a longer flight than initially planed with two hours and 22 minutes, fuel reserve were low and the crew was forced to attempt an emergency landing.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2P in Ust-Kulom: 15 killed

Date & Time: Nov 26, 1981 at 1013 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-01808

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Ust-Kulom-Syktyvkar

MSN:

1G107-55

YOM:

1969

Flight number:

SU210I

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

11704

Aircraft flight cycles:

16670

Circumstances:

Few minutes after takeoff from Ust-Kulom Airport, en route to Syktyvkar, the single engine airplane collided with an Aeroflot PZL-Mielec AN-2TP registered CCCP-40564 that was inbound to Ust-Kulom on a flight from Syktyvkar. While the second airplane was able to land without further incident, the first airplane entered a dive and crashed in a field located 12 km from the airport. All 15 occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was limited due to low clouds.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the collision was the consequence of the following:
- The crew of AN-2 CCCP-01808 failed to follow the departure route and altitude, departure procedures,
- Limited visibility due to low clouds,
- Lack of ATC assistance who failed to transmit suitable information to both crews,
- Late detection of the climbing aircraft by the inbound crew.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-154B-2 in Norilsk: 99 killed

Date & Time: Nov 16, 1981 at 1737 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-154

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-85480

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Krasnoyarsk - Norilsk

MSN:

81A480

YOM:

1981

Flight number:

SU3603

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

160

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1889

Aircraft flight cycles:

697

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight from Krasnoyarsk, the crew started the descent to Norilsk-Alykel Airport. At an altitude of about 600 meters and a speed of 370 km/h, the undercarriage were lowered. At a distance of 19 km from the airport, at an altitude of 500 meters and a speed of 300 km/h, flaps were deployed to an angle of 28°. At this time, the crew calculated the landing speed at 265 km/h according to flight conditions and the total weight of the aircraft. Unfortunately, this calculation was wrong and the correct speed should be 270 km/h. On short final, the airplane descended below the glide and struck the ground at a speed of 261 km/h about 470 meters short of runway threshold. It slid for about 300 meters on an icy ground before coming to rest, bursting into flames. 68 occupants were injured while 99 others were killed, among them four crew members. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The accident resulted from a loss of longitudinal controllability on short final due to the combination of the following factors:
- A significant reduction in the efficiency of the stabilizers after they were positioned beyond an angle of -20 °,
- An automatic reduction of power on all three engine close to idle,
- An aircraft with a forward center of gravity,
- An insufficient approach speed,
- An excessive rate of descent,
- The late recognition by the crew of an emergency situation,
- The failure of the crew to initiate a go-around procedure.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 in Aktyubinsk: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 16, 1981 at 1105 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-28849

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Aktyubinsk – Kenkiyak

MSN:

1G05-03

YOM:

1961

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

14157

Aircraft flight cycles:

26889

Circumstances:

The airplane was engaged in a flight from Aktyubinsk to Kenkiyak, carrying 12 passengers and a crew of two on behalf of an oil exploration company. Rotation was completed at a speed of 80 km/h after a course of 180 meters. During initial climb, at a height of 5-7 meters, at a speed of 120 km/h, the airplane banked left then lost height and crashed 210 meters from the runway end, rolled for about 26 meters and came to rest. Two passengers were killed while 12 other occupants were seriously injured.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the loss of control during initial climb was the consequence of a weight & balance problem. Investigations revealed that the aircraft was generally used for support and other missions in the past and was flying with passengers for the first time. By a local manufacturing plant, several equipment such as radios and batteries were moved to the rear of the cabin, modifying the center of gravity that was out of the envelope, too far aft (4%). For unknown reasons, the aircraft technical documents were not modified accordingly and the crew was not aware of these modifications.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R in Ukhta

Date & Time: Nov 10, 1981

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-92862

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Spraying (Agricultural)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

1G53-14

YOM:

1965

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed while landing in an unsuitable terrain in Ukhta. There were no casualties while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Zheleznogorsk: 33 killed

Date & Time: Sep 18, 1981 at 1213 LT

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87455

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Irkutsk - Zheleznogorsk

MSN:

9 43 12 36

YOM:

1974

Flight number:

SU652

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

10455

Aircraft flight cycles:

9784

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight from Irkutsk-Magan Airport, the crew started the descent to Zheleznogorsk-Ilimskiy Airport in relative good weather conditions with a horizontal visibility of 20 km. On final, at an altitude of 400 meters, the three engine airplane collided with a Soviet Air Force Mil Mi-8 helicopter registered CCCP-22268. Inbound from Bratsk, the helicopter was completing a training mission with seven people on board. Following the collision, both aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a wooded and hilly terrain located about 11 km from the airport, bursting into flames. All 40 occupants in both aircraft were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the collision was the consequence of a poor ATC surveillance, causing both aircraft to initiate an approach without ensuring that they each maintained a minimum separation in accordance with published procedures. This situation allowed the helicopter to cut off the approach path of the aircraft. The lack of radio communications between the three parties concerned remained a contributing factor.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2TP in Suordakh

Date & Time: Sep 16, 1981 at 1445 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-40523

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site: