Date & Time: Jan 14, 1945
Type of aircraft:
Junkers JU.52
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L46
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Stalinabad – Kulyab
MSN:
6053
YOM:
1938
Country:
Tajikistan
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
On a cargo flight from Stalinabad to Kulyab when the right wing caught fire some 20 minutes into the flight (probably due to a leak in a fuel pipe). The fuel tanks in the right wing exploded, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed into rocks in the Rangon Mountain Range located southeast of Stalinabad. All three crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
The Tadjik investigation commission reported that the accident was caused by several errors committed by the crew. The NII GVF inspection disagreed with these results and reported that the crash may have been caused by a technical issue on a fuel line (carburetor and/or collector) linked to the right BMW-132 engine.