Donetsk Oblast | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew was engaged in a local night training mission at Donetsk Airport. Following five uneventful circuits, the crew started a sixth approach in limited visibility due to poor weather conditions. On final, the pilot-in-command decided to continue the descent after passing the decision height despite the fact he was unable to distinguish the runway lights when the airplane struck trees. It banked right to an angle of 20° and crashed in a field located 380 meters to the right of the approach path and 325 meters from the runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all five crew members were injured. Six days later, the captain died from his injuries.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew decided to continue the approach after passing the decision height without any visual contact with the runway light and the ground. In such conditions, the crew should abandon the approach for a go around manoeuvre. It is reported that weather conditions worsened during flight, which was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Beriev BE-12 off Zhdanov: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 24, 1961 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beriev Be-12

Operator:

Beriev

Registration:

12 red

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

01 01

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a test flight on this seaplane that was built 30 June 1960 and should be delivered to the Soviet Navy shortly. In flight, the right engine was voluntarily shut down in accordance with the test program. Shortly later, the crew mistakenly shut down the left engine and forgot to feather the propeller. Due to high drag and lost of thrust, the airplane lost height and eventually stalled before crashing into the Azov sea off Zhdanov. Two crew members were rescued while three others were killed.

Probable cause:

Crew error.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Stalino: 10 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1949 at 1052 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-12

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1381

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Stalino – Kiev – Moscow

MSN:

30 109

YOM:

1947

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

709

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Stalino Airport, while climbing to a height of 90 meters, the right engine oversped while the left engine lost power. The aircraft stalled, hit an electric pole and crashed in flames onto a house located near the airport. A crew member was seriously injured while all eight other occupants were killed as well as two people in the house. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the right engine oversped due a structural shortcoming of the screw regulator. Regarding the loss of power on the left engine, it was not possible to determine its cause due to the fact that the engine was totally destroyed by fire. An unappropriated reaction of the crew to the double engine dysfunction was considered as a contributory factor.

Crash of a Polikarpov SP in Krymky: 2 killed

Date & Time: Mar 16, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L2700

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

13017

YOM:

1938

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in Krymky. The pilot and a passenger were killed while a second passenger was injured.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Yakovlev AIR-6 in Slavyansk: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 2, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev AIR-6

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-F128

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

7753

YOM:

1934

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was carrying one pilot and one passenger, Lt Col Sherbakov who was en route to Barvenkovo. The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances. The passenger was killed and the pilot became PoW.

Crash of a Polikarpov SP near Mariupol: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jul 22, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L2030

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

8083

YOM:

1936

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

203

Circumstances:

The pilot was engaged in a special mission to deliver spare parts for combine harvester to local farmers based in Ukraine. Several landings were made in the areas of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia then the pilot landed in an open field owned by the State Farm of 'Azov' located about 60 km from Mariupol. The following night, the pilot took off with full tanks, two passengers and a load of spare parts. After a course of 60 metres on rugged terrain, the airplane lifted off. At a height of about 50-60 metres, the pilot made a left turn to pass over the house where he slept the preceding night when the airplane rolled to the left, struck the house and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot and a passenger were killed while the second passenger was seriously injured.

Probable cause:

The following contributing factors were identified:
- The decision of the pilot to land and takeoff from an unsuitable (rugged) terrain;
- The decision of the pilot to make a sharp turn at low height;
- There were two unauthorized passengers on board;
- The fuel tanks were full.