Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Magadan – Tiksi – Chokurdakh – Magadan

MSN:

47302106

YOM:

1975

Location:

Chokurdakh

Country:

Region:

Vostsibaero - East Siberia Air

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach, the crew encountered limited visibility due to snow falls but the pilot-in-command was able to maintain a visual contact with the approach light system. Nevertheless, he failed to realized he descended below the MDA when the aircraft struck the ground 178 metres short of runway threshold and 77 metres to the right of its extended centerline. On impact, the nose gear collapsed and the aircraft came to rest against meteo installations. All 17 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew initiated the final approach prematurely after passing over the outer marker. Serious flight safety deficiencies were identified by the operator during the investigations.

Crash of an Antonov AN-74-200 in Mirny

Date & Time: Dec 10, 1996 at 2357 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-74

Operator:

Registration:

RA-74037

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Mirny - Irkutsk

MSN:

470 98 950

YOM:

1995

Location:

Mirny

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

369

Aircraft flight cycles:

176

Circumstances:

Just after liftoff from Mirny Airport, while in initial climb, the reverse thrust system deployed on the right engine. The aircraft banked right, causing the right wing tip to struck the runway surface. Out of control, the aircraft crash landed, veered off runway and came to rest against a building. All 12 occupants escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the reverse thrust system on the right engine accidentally deployed after takeoff due to a mechanical failure of unknown origin. Nevertheless, investigations confirmed that a warning light came on in the cockpit prior to departure but the crew failed to identify this warning because he did not follow the pre-departure checklist.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24RV in Ust-Nera

Date & Time: Nov 6, 1996

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-24

Operator:

Registration:

RA-47356

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Yakutsk - Khandyga - Ust-Nera

MSN:

67310605

YOM:

1976

Flight number:

SKH017

Location:

Ust-Nera

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On approach to Ust-Nera Airport, following an uneventful flight from Khandyga, the crew mistook the new runway 85 (still under construction) for the operational runway 75 in poor visibility. When ATC realized this, they twice ordered the crew to go around but the crew failed to comply and touched down on runway 85. During the landing run, at a speed of 158 km/h, the captain attempted to go around but the check pilot aborted this attempt some seconds later. The confused flight engineer retracted the landing gear and the aircraft came to rest on its belly, suffering substantial damage. All 5 crew and 24 passengers escaped unhurt.

Probable cause:

The following findings were reported:
- Poor approach and landing planning,
- The crew descended below MDA without visual contact with the runway,
- The crew failed to comply with ATC instructions,
- Poor crew coordination,
- The flight engineer mistakenly raised the landing gear while the aircraft was still on ground.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Aldan

Date & Time: Jun 28, 1996 at 1910 LT

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Samorodok

Registration:

RA-87423

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Tynda - Aldan

MSN:

9 42 19 34

YOM:

1974

Location:

Aldan

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Twenty-three minutes after takeoff from Tynda Airport, while cruising at an altitude of 5,700 metres, the crew encountered technical problems with the engine n°2 (central engine). Due to an excessive temperature of the turbine, the captain decided to shut this engine down (the engine n°2 is equipped with a thrust reverser system). While descending to Aldan Airport, the aircraft approached in a nose down attitude and struck the ground 90 metres short of runway threshold with a positive acceleration of 4 g. On impact, the nose gear collapsed, the aircraft bounced several times then slid for 800 metres before coming to rest on the runway. All 11 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The following findings were reported:
- The crew took the wrong decision to fly to Aldan Airport instead of the alternate,
- The approach was continued with excessive gap related to the approach speed and altitude,
- On final, the aircraft was in an excessive nose down attitude,
- The crew failed to identify and correct the wrong approach configuration.

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

Date & Time: Dec 27, 1995

Type of aircraft:

PZL-Mielec AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

RA-96244

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

1G72-28

YOM:

1966

Location:

Tiksi

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Upon landing, the aircraft flipped over and came to rest. There were no casualties.

Crash of an Antonov AN-26 near Zyrianka

Date & Time: Nov 6, 1994 at 1257 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-26

Operator:

Kosmos & Transport

Registration:

RA-88286

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Voronezh – Kurgan – Krasnoyarsk – Lensk – Susuman

MSN:

08 02

YOM:

1978

Flight number:

KP9390

Location:

Zyrianka

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

12364

Aircraft flight cycles:

8210

Circumstances:

The aircraft was engaged in a cargo flight from Voronezh to Susuman with intermediate stops in Kurgan, Krasnoyarsk and Lensk, carrying four passengers, five crew members and a load of 3 tons of sausages and cheese. After departure from Kurgan Airport, a fuel pump failed and the crew decided to divert to Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo Airport where repairs were successfully conducted. En route to Susuman, while cruising at an altitude of 5,700 metres, the crew got disoriented and the radio contact were difficult. As the fuel reserves were low, the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing 75 km southeast of Zyrianka Airport. With flaps down at 38° and at a speed of 177 km/h, the aircraft crash landed and slid for 488 metres before coming to rest. All nine occupants escaped with minor injuries and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The accident was the result of an emergency landing made necessary after the crew lost his orientation following successive errors during pre-flight and en route. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Poor flight planning and organization,
- The captain took the unjustified decision to change heading,
- ATC in charge of the Okhotsk region authorized the crew to change heading without knowing the exact position of the aircraft,
- Upon departure, the total weight of the aircraft 5,230 kilos above MTOW,
- Radio communication issues.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R in Batagay: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 30, 1994 at 1032 LT

Type of aircraft:

PZL-Mielec AN-2

Operator:

Yakutavia

Registration:

CCCP-33008

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Batagay – Verkhoyansk – Sartan – Barylas – Arylakh

MSN:

1G217-55

YOM:

1986

Location:

Batagay

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Batagay Airport, while climbing to a height of about 50 metres, the aircraft nosed up. Rather than reducing engine power, the captain asked the passengers to come to the front of the cabin when the aircraft rolled to the left, stalled and crashed 80 metres to the left of the runway. Seven passengers were killed while 12 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The aircraft stalled during initial climb due to the combination of the following factors:
- The crew failed to prepare the flight according to published procedures,
- No mass and balance sheet was calculated prior to departure,
- Four passengers were not mentioned on the pax manifest,
- At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 503 kilos above MTOW,
- The CofG was 5,2% above the rear permissible limit.

Crash of a Let L-410UVP-E in Aldan: 24 killed

Date & Time: Aug 26, 1993

Type of aircraft:

Let L-410

Operator:

Registration:

RA-67656

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Yakutsk - Aldan

MSN:

90 25 09

YOM:

1990

Flight number:

SVT301

Location:

Aldan

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Aldan Airport, at a speed of 196 km/h, the crew extended the flaps to 42° when the aircraft adopted a 42,5° nose-up attitude. The crew elected to go-around but, as the speed dropped to 52 km/h, the aircraft stalled and crashed 273 metres short of runway and 160 metres to the left of its extended centreline. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 24 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the total weight of the aircraft was 623 kilos above MTOW while departing Yakutsk Airport and 550 kilos above the max landing weight upon arrival at Aldan Airport. More than 400 kilos of bagages were placed in the rear compartment, causing the CofG to be out of permissible limits.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Ust-Kuyga

Date & Time: Feb 3, 1993 at 1209 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-24

Operator:

Yakutavia

Registration:

RA-47180

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Ust-Kuyga - Nizhneyansk

MSN:

99901905

YOM:

1969

Location:

Ust-Kuyga

Country:

Region: