Date & Time: Oct 20, 1990 at 1410 LT
Type of aircraft:
Tupolev TU-154
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-85268
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kutaisi - Kiev - Saint-Petersburg
MSN:
78A268
YOM:
1978
Country:
Georgia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
164
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
23472
Aircraft flight cycles:
10227
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll, at a speed of 255 km/h, the captain initiated the rotation but the aircraft failed to respond. In such conditions, he decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and started an emergency braking maneuver. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost one main gear and came to rest 781 meters further. All 173 occupants were evacuated, among them 11 were injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It appears that aircraft was overloaded and the CofG was out of the envelope. In such conditions, a rotation was impossible.
Probable cause:
Poor flight preparation on part of the crew and ground operations. The following factors were reported:
- The total weight of the aircraft was well above the MTOW,
- The CofG was too far forward, out of the enveloppe,
- The crew failed to identify the situation in due time.