Polyarnaya Aviatsiya

Schedule:

Cherepovets - Cherepovets

MSN:

184 402 08

YOM:

1951

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a night training mission when the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in the vicinity of the Cherepovets Airport. All four crew were killed.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Dikson

Date & Time: Sep 8, 1956

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-12

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-N525

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

9 301 31 08

YOM:

1949

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The final approach was completed in low clouds and marginal visibility when the airplane hit the runway surface and bounced. On impact, the undercarriage were severely damaged, the aircraft rolled for 400 meters and then veered off runway to the right before coming to rest. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Wrong approach configuration on part of the captain in weather conditions considered as normal. Poor pilot techniques and overconfidence were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 in Nagurskoye

Date & Time: Jul 2, 1955

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-12

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-N480

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Supply

Survivors:

Site:

Nagurskoye (Franz Josef Archipelago)

Schedule:

Dikson - Nagurskoye

MSN:

30 237

YOM:

1950

Location:

Arkhangelsk oblast

Country:

Russia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a supply mission to the ice expedition christened 'Sever 7'. On approach to Nagurskoye ice strip, the pilot in command encountered low visibility due to thick fog. Rather than to divert to a suitable terrain, he tried three times to land, without success. During the fourth attempt to land, the aircraft was too low and misaligned when it struck the ground on short final. On touchdown, the left main gear was sheared off and the aircraft went out of control and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Approach completed below minima weather conditions.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in the Arctic

Date & Time: May 26, 1955

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-N535

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Meteorological / Weather

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Bukhta Somnitelnaya - Bukhta Somnitelnaya

MSN:

184 346 02

YOM:

1959

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On a flight from Bukhta Somnitelnaya (Wrangel Island) to a drifting ice floe in the central Arctic Basin when the ski of the right main landing gear hit an ice hummock during the landing run and broke. The nose of the aircraft touched the ice and the fuselage broke into three when falling back onto the ice. All 6 crew and 4 passengers escaped unhurt and were evacuated by another aircraft. The wreck was set on fire and abandoned on the drifting ice floe. It was spotted by an aircraft of the Icelandic Coast Guard about 155 miles north-west of Iceland (approximately 10-20 miles off Scoresby Sound on Greenland's East Coast) 11DEC1959 but could no longer be found a few days later because of fog. It eventually sank.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Mys Zhelaniya

Date & Time: Apr 2, 1955

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-N497

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Meteorological / Weather

Survivors:

Site:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Schedule:

Mys Zhelaniya - Dikson Island

MSN:

184 307 08

YOM:

1951

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On a flight from Mys Zhelaniya (Novaya Zemlya) to Dikson Island in support of the Arctic expedition 'Sever 7' when the crew was ordered to land on the ice near Mys Zhelaniya for training purposes. The skis of the landing gear broke through the ice during the landing run. All 7 crew and 3 passengers escaped unhurt but the aircraft could not be recovered in time and sank during a storm 06APR55.

Probable cause:

It was later reported that the ice thickness was about 30 cm at the time of the accident, which is insufficient.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-12 near Kepino: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 4, 1955 at 1051 LT

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-12

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-N479

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Schedule:

Mys-Kamennyy – Amderma – Arkhangelsk – Moscow

MSN:

30 236

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2630

Circumstances:

While cruising at an altitude of 2,700 meters between Amderma and Arkhangelsk, a technical failure occurred on the manifold of the left engine, causing fuel to spill in the nacelle and a fire to develop. The crew tried to extinguish the fire but without success. So the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing when the aircraft hit trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located near Poltozero Lake. Rescuers arrived on site a day later and were able to evacuate 26 wounded people while five others were killed, among them four crew members as the cockpit was totally destroyed upon impact.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the direct cause of the accident was a fire that occurred in the nacelle of the left engine due to the failure of a fuel line, presumably from a ringing tube located in the left nacelle as a result of a metallurgical defect. The fuel then spilled inside the nacelle and ignited in contact with exhaust gases. The nacelle caught fire and later, the engine detached. It was also reported that the validity of the certificate of airworthiness expired on March 2, which obviously did not provide an opportunity to fly to Pevek and back. A small remainder of the resource obliged the crew to closely monitor the condition of the material part and regularly perform the required maintenance at the intermediate airports. In fact, the crew in the process of the flight exceeded the established daily norm and failed to perform the 25-hour routine maintenance during the three-day parking at Pevek Airport.

Crash of a Douglas R4D-5 at SP-3 Polar Station

Date & Time: Dec 31, 1954

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-N417

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Refuelling

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

9357

YOM:

1943

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On approach to SP-3 Polar Station in foggy conditions, the airplane was too low and hit a hummocked ice ridge. On impact, the skis were sheared off and the aircraft belly landed and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was not repaired.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 at the North Pole

Date & Time: May 8, 1954

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-N140

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Supply

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

1 30 473 06

YOM:

1953

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a supply mission to the Arctic expedition 'Sever' located on a drifting ice floe near the North Pole (at N89.1500 W90.0000). On approach, while at a height of 15 meters, the aircraft pitched down and crashed in flames on the ice. All five occupants were able to evacuate the cabin and were slightly injured. The aircraft was quickly destroyed by fire.

Probable cause:

It is believed that the loss of control on final was apparently the result of an error on part of a crew member who mistakenly activated the reverse thrust system, causing the aircraft to pitch down and crash.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 near Ust-Tareya: 6 killed

Date & Time: Sep 28, 1952 at 1045 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-N591

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Supply

Survivors:

Site: