Penza oblast | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew was dispatched in the Nizhny Lomov aera on a spraying mission for the State farm of 'Potminsky'. To celebrate the copilot's birthday, the crew invited a farmer, organized a dinner, consumed alcohol and eventually took off for a local tour. At dusk, while flying at a very low height, the aircraft struck an obstacle and crashed. All three occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

The crew initiated a local private flight without authorisation after consuming alcohol.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-134A in Penza: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jun 22, 1986 at 2137 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-134

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-65142

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Penza - Simferopol

MSN:

60955

YOM:

1978

Flight number:

SU5569

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

15938

Aircraft flight cycles:

10397

Circumstances:

38 seconds after the crew started the takeoff procedure, at a speed of 230 km/h and after a course of 1,450 meters, a warning sounded in the cockpit, informing the crew about the failure of the right engine. The captain took over control and initiated an emergency braking procedure. Thrust reversers were activated seven second later and the aircraft started to slow down. As the end of the runway was approaching the captain wanted to avoid any collision with the approach lights and ILS system, he veered off runway to the left. While contacting soft ground, the airplane lost its undercarriage then struck a drainage ditch and came to rest, broken in two, about 530 meters from the runway end and about 47 meters to the left of its centerline. Seven passengers were injured while 57 other occupants escaped uninjured. A passenger died from a heart attack.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the right engine was running properly at the time of the accident and that a malfunction of the warning sound system caused the alarm to activate by mistake.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 in Lunino: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 9, 1969 at 1035 LT

Type of aircraft:

PZL-Mielec AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-35083

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Positioning

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Penza - Kazan

MSN:

1G111-09

YOM:

1969

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

Aircraft flight cycles:

Circumstances:

A first AN-2 registered CCCP-35082 departed Penza Airport at 1012LT on a positioning flight to Kazan. The AN-2 registered CCCP-35083 departed three minutes later on the same routing with one passenger and two pilots on board. For unknown reason, the crew of CCCP-35083 wanted to reach the first crew so they accelerated and joined the first aircraft about 20 minutes later. Due to poor judgement, the engine of CCCP-35083 struck the base of the tail of CCCP-35082. Out of control, it nosed down and crashed inverted in an open field located near Lunino. The airplane was destroyed and all three occupants were killed. The other aircraft was able to land without further problem.

Probable cause:

Poor judgement and wrong actions on part of the flying crew.

Crash of an Avia 14P in Penza: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 30, 1960 at 2158 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avia 14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-52025

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Leningrad – Penza – Saratov

MSN:

051 704 114

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

4382

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a cargo flight from Leningrad to Saratov with an intermediate stop at Penza, carrying a load of refrigerator spare parts. After takeoff from Penza Airport, while climbing by night, the airplane banked left to 40° then stalled and crashed in flames in a field located 2 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all five crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the loss of control during initial climb was caused by an excessive accumulation of ice on both engines and propeller blades. Due to a poor flight preparation and a wrong interpretation of the weather conditions, the captain decided to takeoff in freezing rain. The assumption that all speed indicators, altimeters and variometers were unserviceable at the time of the accident was not ruled out. Also, both engines did not run at impact.

Crash of a Polikarpov P-5 in Tambov

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1938

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov P-5

Operator:

NIISS

Registration:

CCCP-E41

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Tashkent – Penza – Moscow

MSN:

8079

YOM:

1934

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The single engine airplane was completing a special flight from Tashkent to Moscow with an intermediate stop in Penza, carrying one passenger (a mechanic) and one pilot. Weather conditions at takeoff from Penza were excellent. About 40 minutes into the flight, these conditions deteriorated with fog. The pilot elected to gain height and climbed to the altitude of 1,400 metres when he encountered icing conditions. He decided to returned to Penza and initiated a 180 turn in the clouds when he lost control of the airplane that entered a dive. At a height of 200 metres, he regained control but lost it again at a height of 100 metres before the airplane crashed near Tambov, west of Penza. Both occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

Loss of control in clouds after the pilot suffered a spatial disorientation.
The following contributing factors were identified:
- The information transmitted to the pilot concerning weather conditions en route were inaccurate,
- Icing conditions,
- The pilot was not sufficiently trained to fly in IFR conditions.

Crash of a Polikarpov AP in Polyany: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1933 at 1900 LT

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-A198

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Spraying (Agricultural)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Polyany - Polyany

MSN:

3436

YOM:

1932

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

164

Aircraft flight cycles:

920

Circumstances:

The airplane was engaged in a spraying mission in the area of Polyany, carrying one passenger and one pilot. On approach, the pilot completed several turns and the last one was relatively sharp with a 50° bank when the airplane stalled and crashed. The passenger was injured and the pilot was killed.