Moscow – Bamako – Conakry
Flight / Schedule
Moscow – Bamako – Conakry
Aircraft
Ilyushin II-18Registration
3X-GAX
MSN
187 0098 03
Year of Manufacture
1967
Operator
Air GuinéeDate
September 3, 1978 at 12:00 AM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Flight Phase
Landing (descent or approach)
Crash Site
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Crash Location
Conakry-Gbessia Conakry Region
Region
Africa • Guinea
Narrative Report
On September 3, 1978 at 12:00 AM, Moscow – Bamako – Conakry experienced a crash involving Ilyushin II-18, operated by Air Guinée, with the event recorded near Conakry-Gbessia Conakry Region.
The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.
17 people were known to be on board, 15 fatalities were recorded, 2 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 88.2%.
Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 7, passengers on board: 9, passenger fatalities: 8, other fatalities: 0.
On final approach to Conakry-Gbessia Airport, the four engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in a marshfield located few km short of runway threshold. A crew member and a passenger survived while 15 other occupants were killed.
Aircraft reference details include registration 3X-GAX, MSN 187 0098 03, year of manufacture 1967.
Fatalities
Total
15
Crew
7
Passengers
8
Other
0
Crash Summary
On final approach to Conakry-Gbessia Airport, the four engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in a marshfield located few km short of runway threshold. A crew member and a passenger survived while 15 other occupants were killed.
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
8
Passengers On Board
9
Estimated Survivors
2
Fatality Rate
88.2%
Known people on board: 17
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Moscow – Bamako – Conakry
Operator
Air GuinéeFlight Type
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Flight Phase
Landing (descent or approach)
Crash Site
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Region / Country
Africa • Guinea
Aircraft Details
Similar Plane Crashes
Aéroclub de Guinée
Caudron C.280 Phalène
Crashed on landing for unknown reason, injuring the pilot, sole occupant.
Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP
Ilyushin II-18
The crew (five engineers and five test pilots) were engaged in a local test flight out from Moscow-Sheremetievo Airport. Few minutes after takeoff, the engine number two failed. As it was not possible to feather the propeller, the airplane lost height and speed. The crew decided to return to Sheremetievo Airport for an emergency landing but on final, the airplane stalled and crashed in flames 4 km short of runway threshold. The airplane was destroyed and all ten occupants were killed. The test flight was performed on behalf of AKDON – Aviatsionnaya Krasnoznamyonnaya Diviziya Osobogo Naznacheniya, a division of the Soviet Army.
Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines
Ilyushin II-18
While cruising at an altitude of 10,000 meters over the region of Voronezh, the airplane penetrated cumulonimbus area and suffered updrafts first. It climbed to 10,700 meters then encountered downdrafts and descended to 7,000 meters. The propellers on both engines number one and four were automatically feathered when new downdrafts were encountered. The airplane descended to the altitude of 2,800 meters when the crew was able to recover control of the airplane. The crew contacted ATC and obtained the permission to return to Vnukovo for an emergency landing. Following an uneventful landing, all 56 occupants (some of them injured) were evacuated and the aircraft was later declared as damaged beyond economical repair due to heavy damage to the structure. Also, it was reported that the chemical liquid stored in the toilet compartment leaked and contacted several electrical system, causing short-circuits. Several connectors were down as well as the VHF communication system.
Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines
Ilyushin II-18
The crew was completing a local training flight at Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport. Following two landings and two approches, the crew started a new approach by night. During the last segment, at a speed of 260 km/h, the aircraft adopted a nose down attitude and struck the runway with its nose gear first that was sheared off upon impact. The airplane bounced and climbed to a height of about 10 meters before hitting the runway again in a nose down attitude. Upon impact, the airplane went out of control and veered off runway to the right before coming to rest in flames. The flight mechanic was killed while all four other occupants were injured. The aircraft was partially destroyed by fire.
Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines
Ilyushin II-18
While flying over the region of Kiev, the crew contacted ATC about a fire on engine number 4 and requested the permission to divert to Borispol Airport. Due to the position of the aircraft, ATC vectored the crew to Zhulyani Airport. Shortly later, while on descent, the engine number four detached and the fire spread to the right wing. Out of control, the airplane entered a dive and crashed in flames in a near vertical attitude in a wooded area located in Tarasovichi, about 41 km north of Zhulyani Airport. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all 34 occupants were killed, among them 4 Yemen, 5 Algerians, one Ugandan and one Afghan. The five Algerians were Mustapha Ferroukhi, ambassador of FLN in Peking travelling with his wife and three children. The Ugandan citizen was John Muhima Kalekezi, president of the Uganda National Congress who was travelling to Moscow for a meeting with Nikita Khrushchev.
Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines
Ilyushin II-18
The crew was completing a training flight from Kuybyshev to Ulyanovsk, carrying 13 crew members (five instructors and eight pilots under supervision) and four employees of the Voronezh aircraft plant. Following an uneventful flight, the pilot started the approach and when the flaps were selected down to 40°, the airplane became unstable. From a height of 120-150 metes, it stalled and crashed in a field located 1,240 meters short of runway threshold. The airplane was destroyed and all 17 occupants were killed.