Date & Time:
Jun 26, 1943 at 1830 LT
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.41 Albemarle
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L403
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Moscow – Astrakhan – Baku – Tbilisi
MSN:
P1640
YOM:
1943
Country:
Azerbaijan
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Moscow-Vnukovo Airport on a flight to Tbilisi with intermediate stops in Astrakhan and Baku, carrying three passengers and four crew members. On the last leg from Baku to Tbilisi, an oil leak on the left engine forced the crew to make an unscheduled landing at Hagiqabul Airfield located about 92 km southwest of Baku. After repairs were completed, the crew took off at 1737LT. Less than 20 minutes later, while cruising at an altitude of 1,500 metres, a second oil leak occurred on the left engine. The captain elected to divert to Yevlakh Airport but after he realized he could not make it, he attempted an emergency landing in an open field. The left wing impacted the ground first then the airplane cartwheeled and came to rest, broken in two. All seven occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
The accident was caused by a failure in the propeller control system, which caused the propellers to spontaneously switch to a high pitch. This failure almost instantly reduced the propellers’ thrust and prevented the aircraft from reaching Yevlakh Airport. The malfunction was attributed to a design flaw.
