Cuito – Menongue – Luanda
Flight / Schedule
Cuito – Menongue – Luanda
Aircraft
Antonov AN-12Registration
CCCP-11747
MSN
5 3 436 09
Year of Manufacture
1965
Date
November 25, 1985 at 12:00 AM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Military
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Crash Location
Luassingua Cuando Cubango
Region
Africa • Angola
Crash Cause
Terrorism act, Hijacking, Sabotage
Narrative Report
On November 25, 1985 at 12:00 AM, Cuito – Menongue – Luanda experienced a crash involving Antonov AN-12, operated by Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP, with the event recorded near Luassingua Cuando Cubango.
The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.
23 people were known to be on board, 23 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.
Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 8, passengers on board: 15, passenger fatalities: 15, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is terrorism act, hijacking, sabotage. En route to Menongue, the aircraft was shot down by a South African special forces team with a war-booty "Strela-1" SAM on BRDM-2 chassis. The missile hit the engine n°2 and the left wing detached 47 seconds later. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a dense wooded area located near Luassingua, some 43 km east of Menongue. All 23 occupants were killed, among them Soviet and Angolan Army Officers.
Aircraft reference details include registration CCCP-11747, MSN 5 3 436 09, year of manufacture 1965.
Fatalities
Total
23
Crew
8
Passengers
15
Other
0
Crash Summary
En route to Menongue, the aircraft was shot down by a South African special forces team with a war-booty "Strela-1" SAM on BRDM-2 chassis. The missile hit the engine n°2 and the left wing detached 47 seconds later. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a dense wooded area located near Luassingua, some 43 km east of Menongue. All 23 occupants were killed, among them Soviet and Angolan Army Officers.
Cause: Terrorism act, Hijacking, Sabotage
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
8
Passengers On Board
15
Estimated Survivors
0
Fatality Rate
100.0%
Known people on board: 23
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Cuito – Menongue – Luanda
Flight Type
Military
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Region / Country
Africa • Angola
Aircraft Details
Similar Plane Crashes
Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP
Lisunov LI-2
Built last December 2, the aircraft was on its way from the Tashkent construction plant to Aktyubinsk via Shalkar to be delivered to the Soviet Air Force. While cruising vertical to the Mugodzhar mountain range, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low clouds and icing. The aircraft lost height and crashed on the south slope of the Mt Menshy Brat (590 meters high). The wreckage was found two days later at an altitude of 520 meters and all eight occupants have been killed.
Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP
Lisunov LI-2
Just after rotation from Molotov Airport, the aircraft stalled and crashed. It veered off runway, hit a parked Lisunov LI-2 registered CCCP-L3962 and came to rest in a wooded hangar. All three crew members were killed while all seven passengers were seriously injured.
Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP
Lisunov LI-2
En route, the crew encountered problems with the right engine that failed. The Captain reduced his altitude in an attempt to make an emergency landing 30 km southeast of Maksatikha. While the manoeuvre was successfully completed and no one was injured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP
Naval Aircraft Factory PBN-1 Nomad
The crew was returning from Naryan Mar to Lakhta AFB following a maritime patrol flight in the Novaya Zemlya region. En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and the visibility was reduced due to fog. The pilot decided to gain height when the seaplane hit the top of a hill and crashed in flames some 2 km southeast of Lodka hill. While six crew members were killed instantly, the mechanic was slightly injured and walked for 12 days prior to find help in the small village of Kotkino. The crew was from the 44th Aviation Regiment of the White Sea Flotilla.
Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
En route, the aircraft hit a mountain slope in the Krkonoše Mountain range (Giants Mountains), at the border between Poland and Czech Republic. All six occupants were killed.
Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP
Lisunov LI-2
The aircraft was on its way from Moscow to Chelyabinsk, carrying a crew of six and 13 members of the ice hockey team of the VVS Moscow (Ice Hockey Branch of the Army) who should play against the Dzerzhinsky club of Chelyabinsk. Upon arrival in Chelyabinsk, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and as it was not possible to land, the captain decided to divert to Sverdlovsk. Unfortunately, while approaching Sverdlovsk, weather conditions deteriorated and the visibility was poor due to snow falls. Four times, the crew tried to land but was forced to go around. During the fifth attempt to land, the aircraft was too low and crashed in a field few hundred yards short of the runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all 19 occupants were killed.
