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Crash of an Antonov AN-12TB near Yeniseysk: 11 killed

Date & Time: Aug 24, 1979 at 0156 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-12963
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Norilsk - Krasnoyarsk
MSN:
9 3 464 07
YOM:
1969
Flight number:
SU22200
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Aircraft flight hours:
18235
Aircraft flight cycles:
7006
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Norilsk Airport in the late evening of August 23 on a cargo flight (SU22200) to Krasnoyarsk, carrying 10 passengers, a crew of six and a load of cargo consisting of six containers for a total weight of 1,920 kilos. Two hours and 18 minutes into the flight, while cruising by night at an altitude of 7,800 meters, all four engines failed simultaneously due to fuel contamination. The crew declared an emergency and initiated a descent to Yeniseysk Airport. On approach, due to low speed, the airplane lost height then struck tree tops and crashed in flames in a hilly and wooded terrain located 17,9 km short of runway. Five passengers were seriously injured while 11 other occupants, among them all six crew members, were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that all four engines failed simultaneously as the fuel was contaminated with water. It was also reported that the refueling system at Norilsk Airport was contaminated with water and that it had not been drained or controlled before being used. Analysis of fuel samples at the crash site showed a concentration of water and sediments between 37% and 88%. Finally, several passengers boarded without valid ticket and only upon captain permission, in violation with published procedures.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-134A near Kurilovka: 94 killed

Date & Time: Aug 11, 1979 at 1335 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-65816
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Chelyabinsk - Voronezh - Kichinev
MSN:
4 35 22 10
YOM:
1974
Flight number:
SU7628
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
88
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
94
Aircraft flight hours:
12739
Aircraft flight cycles:
7683
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Voronezh Airport at 1254LT on the last leg of a flight from Chelyabinsk to Kishinev, Moldavia, carrying 88 passengers and a crew of six. At 1317LT, the airplane entered the Kharkiv ARTCC at an altitude of 8,400 meters. The crew requested several times the permission to climb to 9,600 meters but this was denied due to heavy traffic. Eight minutes later, a second Aeroflot Tupolev TU-134AK entered the same ARTCC at an altitude of 5,700 meters. Registered CCCP-65735, it was completing flight SU7880 from Tashkent to Minsk with an intermediate stop in Donetsk. On board were 77 passengers and a crew of seven, among them all staff from the Pakhtakor Tashkent Football Team who should play against the Dynamo Minsk Team in two days. The crew of the second TU-134 was first cleared to climb to 7,200 meters and later to 8,400 meters. The air traffic controller miscalculated the distance and timing between both aircraft. About 90 seconds later, at an altitude at 8,400 meters but on crossing airways, both airplanes collided at an angle of 95° from each other. The right wing of CCCP-65735 struck the cockpit of CCCP-65816. Both aircraft spiralled to the ground, partially disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in fields located around the villages of Kurilovka, Nikolaevka and Elizavetovka, about 35 km northwest of Dnipropetrovsk. Debris were found on a large area and none of the 178 occupants survived the accident.
Probable cause:
The in-flight collision was the consequence of multiple errors on part of the Air Traffic Controller and his instructor in charge of the Kharkiv Southwest Sector. The following factors were reported:
- Violations of the published procedures,
- Poor assistance and negligence on part of ATC in level assignment,
- Non compliance with requirements and regulations in force on part of ATC,
- Non compliance with standard radio phraseology,
- Lack of coordination,
- Intense traffic,
- Stress situation.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-134AK near Kurilovka: 84 killed

Date & Time: Aug 11, 1979 at 1335 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-65735
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Tashkent - Donetsk - Minsk
MSN:
1 35 14 05
YOM:
1971
Flight number:
SU7880
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
77
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
84
Aircraft flight hours:
10753
Aircraft flight cycles:
7075
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Donetsk Airport at 1311LT on the last leg of a flight from Tashkent to Minsk. On board were 77 passengers and a crew of seven, among them all staff from the Pakhtakor Tashkent Football Team who should play against the Dynamo Minsk Team in two days. At 1317LT, another TU-134 registered CCCP-65816 entered the Kharkiv ARTCC at an altitude of 8,400 meters. In charge to complete flight SU7628 from Chelyabinsk to Kishinev via Voronezh, the aircraft was carrying 88 passengers and a crew of six. His crew requested several times the permission to climb to 9,600 meters but this was denied due to heavy traffic. Eight minutes later, CCCP-65735 entered the same ARTCC at an altitude of 5,700 meters and his crew was first cleared to climb to 7,200 meters and later to 8,400 meters. The air traffic controller miscalculated the distance and timing between both aircraft. About 90 seconds later, at an altitude at 8,400 meters but on crossing airways, both airplanes collided at an angle of 95° from each other. The right wing of CCCP-65735 struck the cockpit of CCCP-65816. Both aircraft spiralled to the ground, partially disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in fields located around the villages of Kurilovka, Nikolaevka and Elizavetovka, about 35 km northwest of Dnipropetrovsk. Debris were found on a large area and none of the 178 occupants survived the accident.
Probable cause:
The in-flight collision was the consequence of multiple errors on part of the Air Traffic Controller and his instructor in charge of the Kharkiv Southwest Sector. The following factors were reported:
- Violations of the published procedures,
- Poor assistance and negligence on part of ATC in level assignment,
- Non compliance with requirements and regulations in force on part of ATC,
- Non compliance with standard radio phraseology,
- Lack of coordination,
- Intense traffic,
- Stress situation.

Crash of a Let 410M in Leningrad: 10 killed

Date & Time: Aug 3, 1979 at 1156 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-67206
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Smolensk – Velikiye Luki – Leningrad
MSN:
76 05 09
YOM:
1976
Flight number:
SU1643
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Aircraft flight hours:
648
Aircraft flight cycles:
674
Circumstances:
On final approach to Leningrad-Rzhevka Airport, at a speed of 165 km/h, the right engine failed. The crew initiated a go-around maneuver and elected to feather the right propeller without success. The aircraft banked right to an angle of 25° then nosed down to an angle of 30° and crashed in flames in a wooded area located 500 meters short of runway threshold. The wreckage was found 550 meters to the right of the runway extended centerline. The aircraft was partially destroyed by a post crash fire and while four passengers were seriously injured, all 10 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Failure of the right engine on final approach due to the destruction of the camshaft.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 in Aktash

Date & Time: Aug 2, 1979
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-35360
Flight Phase:
Schedule:
Novokuznetsk – Gorno-Altaysk – Aktash – Novokuznetsk
MSN:
1 130 473 02
YOM:
1959
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After takeoff, the single engine airplane encountered difficulties to gain height. It struck trees, stalled and crashed. The occupant's fate remains unknown. The crew was completing a flight from Novokuznetsk to Gorno-Altaysk and Aktash with few geologist on board. The departure was attempted at an altitude of 1,470 meters with an OAT of +30° C. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 358 kilos above the MTOW and the takeoff speed was too low.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of the combination of the following factors:
- The total weight of the aircraft was 358 kilos above the MTOW,
- The takeoff speed was insufficient,
- Altitude density,
- High OAT at +30° C.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 in Piatigorsk

Date & Time: Jul 9, 1979
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-01364
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
1G45-13
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff, the single engine airplane lost speed and crashed. Occupant fate unknown.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 in Yulovsky: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 5, 1979 at 0709 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-29391
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Yulovksy - Yulovsky
MSN:
1G79-32
YOM:
1967
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
9081
Aircraft flight cycles:
27243
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a spraying mission on rice fields on behalf of the kolkhoz of Yulovky. Nine minutes after takeoff, while flying at an insufficient height, the crew lost control of the airplane that banked 30° to the left then plunged to the earth and crashed in a canal. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control after the crew got distracted for unknown reasons. It was determined that the total weight of the aircraft was 284 kilos above max gross weight at the time of the accident. Also, the passenger was not authorized to embark.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2M near Krasnaya Polyana: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jul 3, 1979 at 1658 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-02330
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Krasnaya Polyana - Krasnaya Polyana
MSN:
7 014 18
YOM:
1967
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
6627
Aircraft flight cycles:
36248
Circumstances:
The airplane was engaged in a local flight consisting in pesticides spraying on vineyards. On board were one agronomist and one pilot. The mission started at 1505LT and two first missions were completed successfully. During the third circuit, while flying at low height, the pilot attempted to avoid power cables and initiated a evasive manoeuvre when the airplane, at a speed of 163 km/h, struck an electric pylon and crashed in flames. Both occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was the result of an inadvertent loss of altitude due to the pilot being distracted and not paying sufficient attention to the flight.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2 in Mingrelskaya: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 20, 1979 at 1907 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-16021
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Mingrelskaya - Mingrelskaya
MSN:
1G163-25
YOM:
1975
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
3648
Aircraft flight cycles:
14592
Circumstances:
The crew started at 0440LT in the morning a crop spraying mission on behalf of the kolkhoz of Abinsk. Fifteen rotations were successively completed until the lunchbreak. At 1820LT, the crew took off for a new series of four rotations. While no problems occurred during the first three rotations, the crew started the fourth rotation at an insufficient altitude. The pilot initiated a sharp turn to the right when the airplane banked right to an angle of 45° then nosed down and crashed in a field at a speed of 180 km/h. The copilot was seriously injured while the captain was killed. The copilot died from his injuries four hours later.
Probable cause:
The crew initiated the last rotation in a wrong configuration and it was determined that the distance between the aircraft and the ground during the last turn to the right did not allow the crew to correct the situation and avoid the impact with the ground.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2T in Petropavlovsk

Date & Time: Jun 16, 1979 at 0400 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-44920
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Petropavlovsk - Petropavlovsk
MSN:
1G24-20
YOM:
1962
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Parked at the airport, the single engine airplane was stolen in the early morning by a drunk pilot. After takeoff, while flying at low height over the city, the pilot initiated a sharp turn to the left when the aircraft struck a pillar. Out of control, it nosed down and crashed against the facade of an office building. Upon impact, the pilot was ejected and was slightly injured while the aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control at low height after collision with obstacles. Pilot intoxicated.