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Crash of an Antonov AN-2M in Maryinka: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 16, 1968 at 1545 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-05977
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Nikitskoye - Nikitskoye
MSN:
6 009 19
YOM:
30
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
861
Aircraft flight cycles:
2873
Circumstances:
On a crop-spraying flight from Nikitskoye (Kurkino district of the Tula region) for the sovkhoz (state farm) "Pobeda" when probably the control of the flaps and ailerons failed immediately after take-off. Pilot dropped the load and managed to keep control for some time, but after flying 8 km, aircraft banked to the left, turned upside down and crashed in a field of the sovkhoz (state farm) "Polibino" located 1.5 km northwest of Maryinka (Dankov district of the Lipetsk region). The aircraft caught fire and burnt out and the pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Probable cause:
The airplane was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty due to the lack of evidences. Nevertheless, it is believed that the loss of control was caused by a dysfunction of the flaps and/or ailerons for unknown reasons.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V in Moscow: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 22, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75526
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Moscow - Moscow
MSN:
183 0068 04
YOM:
1963
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training flight at Moscow-Domodedovo Airport. On final approach, he failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck power cables and crashed few hundred yards short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all five crew members were killed.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14 on Mt Getantag: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 9, 1968 at 1120 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-41840
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Tbilisi - Yerevan
MSN:
1470 015 04
YOM:
1957
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
13441
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Tbilisi Airport at 1039LT on a cargo flight to Yerevan, carrying five crew members and a load of various goods for a total weight of 2,394 kilos. The assigned altitude of 3,000 meters was reached 17 minutes later and the crew continued to the south under VFR mode. The airplane passed over Idzhevan VOR at 1108LT and six minutes later, the crew was cleared to descent to 1,800 meters by the approach ATC. Between 1116LT and 1119LT, the crew reported twice that the weather conditions deteriorated with low clouds and requested the permission to return to Tbilisi under VFR at 3,000 meters. A minute later, while cruising at the altitude of 2,265 meters, the left wing struck the west slope of Mt Getantag. The airplane continued for 130 meters then crashed in flames. The flight engineer was seriously injured while four other occupants were killed. Few hours later, the only survivor died from his injuries.
Probable cause:
The accident was the result of a controlled flight into terrain caused by the violation of navigation rules on part of the crew who was flying under VFR mode in limited visibility and below the minimum prescribed altitude.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-124 in Volgograd: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 7, 1968 at 1021 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-45019
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Volgograd – Rostov-on-Don
MSN:
2 35 05 04
YOM:
1962
Flight number:
SU3153
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll at Volgograd Airport, after a course of 1,000 meters and while at a speed of 260 km/h, the captain attempted to rotate and pulled the control column. In the same time, he mistakenly pushed the spoiler switch for a period of three seconds. After rotation, the aircraft climbed to a height of 10-15 meters and flew for a distance of about 400 meters then banked left and struck the ground. Upon impact, the left wing was torn off and the airplane crashed in a grassy area and came to rest, broken in three. The wreckage was found 83 meters to the left of the runway and 1,640 meters from the runway threshold. 44 people were evacuated safely while four others were seriously injured, among them the copilot, the board mechanic and the board agent. The radio navigator was killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the spoiler switch was inadequately placed on the steering column of the aircraft, allowing the pilot to activate the switch inadvertently prior to takeoff.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18D near Parchum: 83 killed

Date & Time: Feb 29, 1968 at 2243 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-74252
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Moscow - Krasnoyarsk - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
MSN:
187 0106 01
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
SU015
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
75
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
83
Aircraft flight hours:
328
Aircraft flight cycles:
89
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 8,000 metres on the leg from Krasnoyarsk to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the crew sent a short inaudible message of two seconds. Shortly later, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and reached the vertical speed of 3,360 - 11,000 feet per minute. Once the altitude of 3,000 meters was reached on descent, the vertical speed increased from 9,850 to 24,600 feet per minute. The airplane then made a turn to the right, got inverted and partially disintegrated at an altitude of 650 meters. Debris crashed at a speed of 890 km/h in an uninhabited area located 13 km northeast of Parchum. Debris scattered on a large zone and miraculously, a passenger was found alive while 83 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. However, the assumption that the loss of control was caused by the failure of a fuel line was not ruled out. This may cause the fuel to leak into the engine and to ignite while in contact with high temperature equipments.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V in Donetsk

Date & Time: Feb 24, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75560
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
184 0077 04
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll at Donetsk Airport, the crew decided to abort for unknown reason. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest. There were no casualties.

Crash of an aircraft in Baghdad: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Survivors:
No
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
On final approach to Baghdad Airport, the aircraft struck a building and crashed, killing both crew members.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 near Ayaguz

Date & Time: Feb 12, 1968 at 1427 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-28946
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Urdzhar – Ayaguz – Semipalatinsk
MSN:
1G09-06
YOM:
1961
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
4093
Aircraft flight cycles:
8820
Circumstances:
On the leg from Urdzhar to Ayaguz of a flight from Urdzhar to Semipalatinsk, the crew encountered below-minima weather conditions (snowfall and poor visibility). The crew failed to return in time and lost orientation so the aircraft crashed at a height of 1,850 metres into the slope of Mt Tikasu (2,151 metres high) located some 30 km from Nekrasovka and caught fire. Both pilots and all 4 passengers were injured and the aircraft was destroyed. The captain left the accident site on 13FEB1968 and reached Nekrasovka after walking through deep snow in mountainous terrain for 18 hours. All other five occupants were rescued and evacuated by the crew of a Mil Mi-4 on 14FEB1968.
Probable cause:
The crew decided to continue in adverse weather conditions and below-minima.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12B in Yakutsk

Date & Time: Jan 29, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-11015
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
6 3 440 06
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Damaged beyond repair after suffering a hard landing. No casualties.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-18V in Karaganda

Date & Time: Jan 9, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-75519
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Leningrad – Chelyabinsk – Karaganda – Alma-Ata
MSN:
183 0067 02
YOM:
1963
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While on approach to Karaganda Airport, the crew was instructed by ATC to divert to Tselinograd as the airfield was closed to traffic. The pilot ignored this message and decided to continue the descent. After it passed through the last cloud layer, the aircraft was too low and the captain decided to make a go-around when the airplane struck the ground and came to rest 700 meters short of runway threshold. All occupants survived while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Crew error.