Date & Time:
Feb 7, 1949 at 1042 LT
Type of aircraft:
Junkers JU.52
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-I511
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Verkhnyaya Salda – Oufa
MSN:
7658
YOM:
1942
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
3325
Circumstances:
The crew left Verknyaya Salda in the morning on a cargo flight to Ufa. En route, he encountered poor weather conditions and the visibility was reduced by snow falls. As the crew did not have the appropriate charts for the region, he obtained the assistance of the ATC and was vectored to Tyumen Airport. Few minutes later, while cruising at an assigned altitude of 2,100 meters, the central engine lost power and failed. Shortly later, both other engines (left and right) lost power and produced black smoke. In such conditions, the crew was unable to maintain a safe altitude and the captain decided to make an emergency landing. The aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located 14 km north of Mezenka. Four crew members were injured while the captain was killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that all three engines lost power and eventually failed due to an excessive accumulation of wet snow in the carburetor and the air intake.
