Tupolev TU-154

Russian Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii

The airplane departed Moscow-Chkhalovksy AFB at 0138LT on a flight to Hmeimin AFB located near Latakia, Syria, carrying 84 passengers and 8 crew members. At 0343LT, the aircraft landed at Sochi-Adler Airport to refuel. At 0525LT, the takeoff was initiated from runway 24. After a course of 34 seconds, the pilot-in-command initiated the rotation at a speed of 300 km/h. Shortly after liftoff, the undercarriage were raised and the pilot continued to climb with a nose-up angle of 15°. About 53 seconds after takeoff, at an altitude of 157 metres, the captain asked the flaps to be retracted while the aircraft was climbing to a height of 231 metres with a speed of 360 km/h. Following erroneous movements on the control column, the aircraft nosed down and its speed increased to 373 km/h when the GPWS alarm sounded in the cockpit. With a rate of descent of 30 metres per second, the aircraft reached the speed of 540 km/h, rolled to the left to an angle of 50° and eventually crashed in the sea some 1,270 metres offshore, at 05:25 and 49 seconds. The flight took 73 seconds between liftoff and impact with water. The wreckage was found 2,760 metres from the end of runway 24 and 340 metres to the left of its extended centerline, at a depth of 30 metres. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 92 occupants were killed, among them 64 members of the Alexandrov Choir of the Red Army, their Artistic Director, nine journalists, seven officers from the Ministry of Defence, two senior officials and one representative of a public Company who were traveling to Hmeimim Air Base to commemorate the New Year's Eve celebrations with Russian soldiers based in Syria.

Kolavia

Ready for taxi, the crew started the engines when a short circuit occurred and a fire erupted in the rear compartment. The evacuation of all 134 occupants was initiated but three passengers died while 32 others were seriously injured. The aircraft was totally destroyed by fire. The OAT was -29° C at the time of the incident.

Daghestan Airlines - Avialinii Dagestana

Daghestan Airlines (Avialinii Dagestana) flight DAG372 departed Moscow-Vnukovo Airport at 1408LT bound for Makhatchkala, Daghestan. Fourteen minutes after takeoff, while cruising at an altitude of 9,000 metres some 80 kilometers south of Moscow, the crew informed ATC about the failure of the engines n°1 and 3 and was cleared to return to Moscow-Domodedovo Airport. On final, the aircraft descended below the clouds at a height of 500 feet but was not properly aligned with the runway centerline. It landed hard to the right of runway 32R, went out of control, impacted an earth mound and bushed before coming to rest, broken in two. Two passengers were killed while 78 other occupants were injured.

Taban Airlines

The three engine aircraft departed Abadan for a night flight to Mashhad. Due to poor weather conditions at destination, the crew diverted to Isfahan Airport. The aircraft departed Isfahan Airport at 0535LT bound to Mashhad. While on an ILS approach in thick fog, the aircraft was in a nose high attitude when the base of the empennage struck the runway surface and separated. On impact, the undercarriage were torn off. Out of control, the aircraft slid for few dozen metres, veered off runway and came to rest with both wings partially torn off, bursting into flames. At least 46 occupants were injured while the aircraft was partially destroyed by fire. Vertical visibility was 200 feet at the time of the accident due to fog.

Caspian Airlines

The three engine aircraft departed Tehran-Imam Khomeiny Airport at 1117LT on a regular schedule flight to Yerevan, carrying 158 passengers and 10 crew members. Sixteen minutes after takeoff, while cruising over Qazvin at FL340, the aircraft suddenly changed its heading to 270° and then entered a rapid descent, losing 20,000 feet in 90 seconds. In a near vertical attitude, the aircraft crashed in an open field, causing a large crater. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 168 occupants were killed.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

During the takeoff roll, at a speed of 32 knots, the engine n°1 (a Soloviev D-30KU-154-II) exploded. The crew abandoned the takeoff procedure and started an emergency braking manoeuvre. The aircraft was stopped on the main runway and all 112 occupants evacuated safely. The aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair as several compressor elements punctured the engine n°1 nacelle, hit the fuselage and n°2 engine structure. A fire erupted on the left engine and destroyed the nacelle and a part of APU as well.

Iran Airtour

After landing on runway 14L at Mashhad Airport, a nose gear tyre burst. The crew lost control of the airplane that veered off runway and came to rest, bursting into flames. 28 passengers were killed while 54 were seriously injured and 66 escaped unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed.

Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise

The aircraft departed Anapa Airport at 1505LT and climbed to the assigned altitude of 11,700 metres. Due to the presence of stormy weather ahead, the crew was cleared to modify his route and changed heading to avoid the thunderstorm area with CB's up to 15 km. The aircraft encountered severe turbulences and climbed from 11,961 metres to 12,794 metres within 10 seconds, reaching a super critical angle of attack of 46° with a speed dropping from 350 km/h to zero, causing all three engines to stop. The crew was able to send a brief message then the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent in a flat spin. At an altitude of 3,300 metres, the crew informed ATC that control was totally lost. The aircraft crashed in a prairie located near Novgorodskoye, about 45 km northwest of Donetsk. It was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire, and all 170 occupants were killed.

Sibir Airlines

The aircraft departed Moscow-Domodedovo Airport at 2140LT on a schedule service to Sochi-Adler Airport. At 2253LT, while cruising at an altitude of 12,100 metres, the aircraft suffered an in-flight explosion, entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a field located near Gluboki. First rescuers arrived on the scene about 8 hours later. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 46 occupants were killed.

Bashkirian Airlines - Bashkirskie Avialinii

On 1 July 2002 at 21:35:32 hrs a Tupolev TU-154M on its flight from Moscow-Domodedovo /Russia to Barcelona/ Spain and a Boeing B757-200, which was on a flight from Bergamo /Italy to Brussels /Belgium, collided near the town of Ueberlingen (Lake Constance) in a dark night; the in-flight visibility at the flight level concerned was 10 km and more. Both airplanes impacted the ground north of the town of Ueberlingen. A larger number of witnesses had become aware of the accident by explosive noises, a prolonged roaring and rumbling as well as reflections of fire. Many of them saw pieces of debris burning while falling from the sky. The histories of the flights were reconstructed on the basis of the evaluation of the airborne flight data recorders (FDR) and cockpit voice recorders (CVR) and of the TCAS data stored in the airplanes, the radio communications between the Swiss Air Traffic Control Centre (ACC Zurich) and the crews of the Tupolev TU-154M and the Boeing B757-200 stored on the ground and the ground radar data recorded by the Swiss Air Navigation Services. Boeing B757-200: During the whole month of June 2002 both pilots, the pilot-in-command (PIC) and the copilot, had flown together as a crew. Several times they flew the route Bahrain - Bergamo - Brussels - Bahrain. The last flight prior to this flight cycle was conducted on 28 June 2002 on the route Brussels – Bahrain. Prior to this flight the crew was off duty for 75 hours. They checked in at 11:50 hrs in Bahrain. At 13:30 hrs the airplane departed from Bahrain airport (OBBI) for a cargo flight to Brussels EBBR) with one intermediate stop at Bergamo (LIME). Only the two pilots were aboard the aircraft. The landing at Bergamo airport took place at 19:10 hrs after a flight time of 05 hours 40 minutes. In Bergamo, the airplane was refuelled, unloaded and reloaded with cargo. Take-off to continue the flight to Brussels was at 21:06 hrs. The airplane was flown by the copilot (PF). The flight was conducted under instrument flight rules (IFR). The flight plan (FPL) included the following information relevant to the flight: Aerodrome of departure: LIME, scheduled time of departure: 21:00 hrs, cruise speed: 463 kt, cruise level: FL 360, flight route: ABESI-UN851-TGO-UL608-LAMGO-UZ738-ANEKI-UZ917- BATTY, aerodrome of destination: EBBR, estimated flight time: 01:11 hrs, alternate aerodrome: EDDK (Cologne). At 21:21:50 hrs, the PIC contacted ACC Zurich on the frequency 128.050 MHz at FL 260 and in direct approach to the waypoint ABESI. At 21:21:56 hrs, the transponder code 7524 was assigned. With the identification of the airplane a clearance for a direct approach to the TANGO VOR as well as for a climb from FL 260 to FL 320 was given. The PIC requested to climb to FL 360, which was approved approximately four minutes later at 21:26:36 hrs. At 21:29:50 hrs the airplane reached this flight level, without the pilots reporting it. At 21:34:30 hrs the copilot handed over the control of the airplane to the PIC in order to go to the lavatory installed in a cubicle at the rear of the cockpit. At 21:34:31 hrs the PIC confirmed that he had taken over. At 21:34:42 hrs the airborne TCAS alarmed the crew about possibly conflicting traffic by a Traffic Advisory (TA): “traffic, traffic". After the TA the CVR recorded clicking noises. 14 seconds later (21:34:56 hrs) TCAS issued a Resolution Advisory (RA) “descend, descend". Approximately two seconds later the autopilot (AP) was switched off, the control column pushed and the thrust of the engines reduced. FDR data shows that the pitch was reduced from 2.5° to approximately 1.5° and the vertical acceleration lowered from about 1.0 g to 0.9 g. According to the FDR and the TCAS recordings the airplane had reached a rate of descent of 1500 ft/min 12 seconds after the autopilot had been switched off. At 21:35:05 hrs the CVR recorded via the cockpit area microphone the remark of the copilot “traffic right there“ which was confirmed by the PIC with “yes“. At 21:35:10 hrs, i.e. 14 seconds after the RA “descend, descend“, TCAS issued the advisory to increase the descent (“increase descent, increase descent“). At this time the copilot had returned to his work station and put on his headset. His reaction to the RA was recorded as "increase". Following this RA, the rate of descent was changed and reached approximately 2600 ft/min 10 seconds later. During the descent the pitch angle decreased to –1° and the powerplant thrust was reduced to approximately 1.2 (EPR). According to the CVR at 21:35:14 hrs a Master Caution Aural Warning is heard for two seconds. According to the FDR the autothrottle was switched off by the crew at 21:35:18 hrs. At 21:35:19 hrs the crew reported the “TCAS descent“ to ACC Zurich. Subsequently the copilot requested the PIC twice to descend. Once with the word “descend“ (21:35:26 hrs) and then by saying “descend hard“ (21:35:30 hrs). Approximately two seconds prior to the collision the control column was pushed fully forward. At 21:35:32 hrs the airplane flying a northern heading (MH = 004°) with a pitch angle of approximately – 2° and no bank angle collided with the TU154M at 34 890 ft. Tupolev TU-154M: The crew was off duty for 24 hours before take-off for the charter flight to Barcelona (LEBL). They checked in at 17:30 hrs. At 18:48 hrs the airplane departed from the airport Moscow-Domodedovo (UUDD). Nine crew members and 60 passengers were aboard the airplane. The flight was conducted under instrument flight rules (IFR) in accordance with the flight plan (FPL) filed. The FPL included the following information relevant to the flight: Aerodrome of departure: UUDD, planned time of departure: 18:30 hrs, cruise speed: 880 km/h, cruise level: 10 600 m, flight route: KLIMOVSK-KAMENKA-ZAKHAROVKA-R11-YUKHNOVB102-BAEVO/cruise speed: 470 kt, cruise level: FL 360, flight route: UL979-MATUS-UM984-BOLMU-UT43-STOCKERAU-UR23-SALZBURG-UL856-TRASADINGEN-Z69-OLBEN-UN869-OLRAK-UN855-PERPIGNAN-UB384-GIRONA-UB38-SABADELL, aerodrome of arrival: LEBL, estimated flight time: 04:20 hours, alternate aerodrome: LEGE (Girona). Five flight crew members were in the cockpit. The commander (under supervision) - who was the PF (Pilot flying) on this flight - occupied the left-hand seat in the cockpit. The right-hand seat was occupied by an instructor, who as a PNF (Pilot non flying) also conducted the radio communications. He was also the pilot-in-command (PIC). The seat of the flight navigator was between and slightly behind the pilots. The work station of the flight engineer was behind the instructor. A further pilot (copilot), who had no function on this flight, was on a vacant seat behind the commander. At 21:11:55 hrs - near Salzburg still over Austrian territory - the crew received the clearance from Vienna radar for a direct approach to the Trasadingen VOR at FL 360. At 21:16:10 hrs, the airplane entered German airspace and was controlled by Munich Radar. At 21:29:54 hrs, the crew was instructed by Munich to change over to ACC Zurich on 128.050 MHz. At 21:30:11 hrs and at FL 360 the PNF contacted ACC Zurich. At 21:30:33 hrs, ACC Zurich assigned the transponder code 7520 to the airplane, which was acknowledged 6 seconds later. For the time between about 21:33:00 hrs and 21:34:41 hrs the CVR recorded crew discussions concerning an airplane approaching from the left which was displayed on the vertical speed indicator (VSI/TRA) which is part of the TCAS. All flight crew members with the exception of the flight engineer were involved in these discussions. These recordings suggest that the crew strived to localize the other airplane as to its position and its flight level. At 21:34:36 hrs, the commander stated: “Here it is in sight“, and two seconds later: “Look here, it indicates zero“. During the time from 21:34:25 hrs to 21:34:55 hrs, the airplane turned at a bank angle of approximately 10° from a magnetic heading (MH) of 254° to 264°. At 21:34:42 hrs, TCAS generated a TA (“traffic, traffic“). The CVR recorded that both the PIC and the copilot called out “traffic, traffic“. At 21:34:49 hrs - i.e. seven seconds later - ACC Zurich instructed the crew to expedite descent to FL350 with reference to conflicting traffic (“...... descend flight level 350, expedite, I have crossing traffic“). While the controller was giving the instruction - the radio transmission took just under eight seconds - the PIC requested the PF to descend. At 21:34:56 hrs, the control column was pushed forward, the autopilot (pitch channel) was switched off and the powerplant thrust reduced to approximately 72 % (N1). FDR data shows a reduction of the pitch angle of the airplane from 0° to approximately –2.5° as well as a reduction of the vertical acceleration from approximately 1 g (normal acceleration of the earth near the airplane centre of gravity) to 0.8 g. The instruction to descend was not verbally acknowledged by the crew. At the same time (21:34:56 hrs) TCAS generated an RA (“climb, climb“). At 21:34:59 hrs, the CVR recorded the voice of the copilot stating: “It (TCAS) says (<U+0433><U+043E><U+0432><U+043E><U+0440><U+0438><U+0442>): “climb“. The PIC replied: “He (ATC) is guiding us down“. The copilot's enquiring response: “descend?“ At 21:35:02 hrs, (six seconds after the RA “ climb, climb”) the PF pulled the control column. As a result, the rate of descent ceased to increase. The vertical acceleration rose from 0.75 g to 1.07 g. The engine thrust remained unchanged in conjunction with this control input (refer to Appendix 5a). At 21:35:03 hrs, the engine throttles were pulled back further. The discussion between the crew members was interrupted at 21:35:03 hrs by the controller instructing the crew once again to expedite descend to FL 350 (“... descend level 350, expedite descend“).This instruction was immediately acknowledged by the PNF. The controller then informed the crew about other flight traffic at FL 360 in the 2 o’clock position (“...Ya, … we have traffic at your 2 o’clock position now at 3-6-0“) and the PIC asked: “Where is it?“, the copilot answered: “Here on the left side!“. At the time, the rate of descent was approximately 1 500 ft/min. The voice of the flight navigator can be heard on the CVR saying:" It is going to pass beneath us!" while the controller was giving his last instruction. At 21:35:04 hrs the roll channel of the autopilot was switched off. At 21:35:05 hrs, the PF pushed the control column again and the rate of descent increased to more than 2 000 ft/min. From 21:35:07 hrs to 21:35:24 hrs the aircraft heading changed to the right from 264° to 274° MH. At 21:35:24 hrs TCAS issued an RA “increase climb“. The copilot commented this with the words: “It says ‘climb”! At the time of the RA „increase climb“, the FDR recorded a slow movement of the control column nose down leading to a change in pitch angle from –1° to approximately –2° and in a reduction in vertical acceleration. The descent rate was approximately 1800 ft/min (refer to Appendix 5b). Five seconds before the collision the control column was pulled back, associated with a minor increase of thrust levers setting. One second prior to the collision the pitch angle reached –1° and the vertical acceleration 1.1 g. During the last second before the collision the control column was pulled back abruptly and the thrust levers were pushed fully forward. At the time of the collision the pitch angle was 0°; the vertical acceleration was 1.4 g but the airplane was still in a descent. The airplane collided with a heading of 274° and a bank angle to the right of 10° with the Boeing B757-200 at 21:35:32 hrs at a flight level of 34 890 ft. After the collision, the TU154M rolled with increasing rate about the longitudinal axis to the left. Simultaneously with this rolling movement the extension of the aileron-spoiler on the right wing was recorded. Within approximately two seconds after the collision the pitch angle changed from 0° to -6° and the cabin differential pressure decreased within one second from 0.6 kg/cm2 to a value close to 0 kg/ cm2.

Iran Airtour

Following an uneventful flight from Tehran, the crew started the descent to Khorramabad Airport runway 11 in bad weather conditions. In poor visibility, the crew failed to realize he was off course when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located few km northeast from the city of Sarab-e Dowreh, about 25 km northwest from the runway 11 threshold. The wreckage was found few hours later on a snow covered rock wall. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 119 occupants were killed, among them four Spanish citizens.

Sibir Airlines

While cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet over the Black Sea on a weekly schedule service from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, the aircraft disappeared from radar screens at 1344LT. The crew did not send any distress call. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in the sea about 185 km off Adler, and sank to a depth of 2,000 metres. All 78 occupants were killed. Ten days after the crash, the President of Ukraine confirmed officially that the aircraft has been shot down by a surface-to-air missile (Type S200) as the Ukrainian Army was completing exercices off Feodosia, south Crimea.

Vladivostok Avia - Vladivostok Air

The airplane departed Yekaterinburg Airport on a regular schedule flight (XF352) to Vladivostok with an intermediate stop at Irkutsk. The flight departed Yekaterinburg at 1947LT and climbed to the assigned cruising altitude of 10,100 metres. Some three hours into the flight, at 0150LT, the crew started the descent to Irkutsk Intl Airport. The copilot was the pilot-in-command. At 0205LT, the crew reported at 2,100 metres with the runway in sight. At this time, the aircraft' speed was 540 km/h. The maximum speed at which the landing gear may be lowered was 400 km/h. At 0206:56 the airplane leveled off at 900 metres with an airspeed still at 420 km/h. The first officer asked for gear down and the speed further decreased to 395 km/h with engines at idle. When the gear was down and locked, the airplane entered a left bank angle of 20-23°. The airspeed continued to drop to 365 km/h while the recommended speed was 370 km/h at this stage of the flight. Power was added slowly. This was only just sufficient for maintaining an altitude of 850 metres at 355-360 km/h. At 0207:46, while still in the left hand turn, the angle of attack increased to 16,5° because the autopilot attempted to maintain altitude with a decreasing speed. An aural warning sounded, informing the crew about a high angle of attack. The first officer attempted to correct this by using the control column and disconnected the autopilot. Because he deflected the control column to the left, the left bank increased to the maximum permissible value of -30° to -44°, and then to -48°. In a nose down attitude, the speed increased to 400 km/h then the aircraft entered clouds. By night, the crew lost visual contact with the ground and was not able to observe the natural horizon. In such conditions, the captain took over controls but alternately deflected the steering wheel to the left and right. An intensive deflection of steering control to the right caused a positive angular acceleration of +4,4° per second. The captain reacted by deflecting the steering wheel to the left again. The first officer now realized that the airplane was in a severe left bank of -45° and indicated that they should be rolling to the right. Because of an increase in vertical descent rate of 20 metres per seconds, one of the crew members pulled the control column. The airplane pitched up rapidly then entered a stall and a subsequent flat spin before crashing in an open field 22 seconds later. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 145 occupants were killed.

Malév Hungarian Airlines - Magyar Légiközlekedési Vallalat

Originally, flight MA262 from Budapest to Thessaloniki should be performed by a Boeing 737-300 HA-LES but due to technical problems, a Tupolev TU-154B-2 was dispatched. Following an uneventful flight, the crew was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 34 followed by a visual circle to land on runway 28 as the runway 34 was closed to traffic due to construction works. Because a Boeing 757 slowed to vacate the runway after landing, ATC instructed the crew to extend the downwind leg for runway 28. For unknown reasons, the crew failed to comply with this instructions and performed 'S'. On final approach, the tower controller informed the crew that he forgot to lower the undercarriage. The captain increased engine power and initiated a go-around procedure but this decision was too late. The aircraft continued to descend and struck the runway surface in a gear-up configuration at 1657LT. The aircraft suffered substantial damages but the crew managed to go-around and to follow a holding pattern. A safe landing was completed at 1715LT. All 94 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

China Southwest Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Chengdu, the crew was cleared to descend to Wenzhou Airport. While passing 9,000 metres on descent, the crew encountered technical difficulties with the control column that was too far forward. At 1629LT, the crew was cleared to descend from 1,200 to 700 metres when the aircraft entered a nose-down attitude. Flaps were selected down (first stage) when the AOA alarm sounded in the cockpit. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in an open field. It disintegrated on impact and all 61 occupants were killed. Several farmers were injured by debris.

Cubana de Aviación

While parked on the apron at Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport, the crew started the engine when a pneumatic valve blocked. The problem was resolved and two engines were started with ground power unit while the third engine was started during taxi. During the takeoff roll on runway 17, at Vr speed, the pilot-in-command started the rotation but the aircraft failed to respond. For unknown reasons, the crew took 10 seconds to decide to abort the takeoff. The captain initiated an emergency braking procedure but the remaining distance of 800 metres was insufficient. Unable to stop, the aircraft overran, struck a concrete wall, an auto spare parts building and crashed near a soccer field, bursting into flames. Seventy people in the aircraft was well as 10 people on the ground were killed while 21 people in the airplane and 15 on the ground were injured, some seriously. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 73,309 kilos, within limits.

Tajikistan Airlines - Tajik Air

Following an uneventful flight, the aircraft entered the UAE airspace and was cleared by Dubai ATC to successively descend to FL170, 100, 060 and 025 via heading 190. Passing 3,460 feet on descent, the crew was cleared to continue to 1,500 feet when, at an altitude of 1,800 feet, the aircraft entered an area of turbulences. The level of 1,500 feet was reached 15 km from the runway 30 threshold. For unknown reasons, the crew failed to report he was passing 1,500 feet and was then instructed to continue via heading 270 for the final approach to runway 30. In a relative limited visibility, the crew initiated a right turn at a speed of 400 km/h then lowered the landing gear. At an altitude of 820 feet, an alarm sounded in the cockpit, informing the crew about an excessive angle of attack. The captain corrected the pitch from 20° to 14° when few seconds later, at an altitude of 690 feet, the aircraft entered a second area of turbulences. The captain realized his altitude was insufficient and requested an increase of engine power when the aircraft struck the ground and crashed 13 km short of runway, bursting into flames. The copilot was the only survivor while 85 other occupants were killed. The aircraft disintegrated on impact.

German Air Force - Deutsche Luftwaffe

Some 65 nautical miles west off the Namibian coast, a US Air Force Lockheed C-141B Starlifter collided with a German Air Force Tupolev 154M in mid-air. Both aircraft crashed, killing all 33 occupants. The Tupolev 154M (11+02), call sign GAF074, operated on a flight from Cologne/Bonn Airport in Germany to Kaapstad, South Africa. En route refueling stops were planned at Niamey, Niger and Windhoek, Namibia. On board were ten crew members and 14 passengers. The C-141B, (65-9405), call sign REACH 4201, had delivered UN humanitarian supplies to Windhoek and was returning to the U.S. via Georgetown on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. On board were nine crew members. GAF074 departed Niamey, Niger at 10:35 UTC. REACH 4201 took off from Windhoek at 14:11 UTC and climbed to its filed for and assigned cruise level of 35,000 feet (FL350). At the same time, GAF074 was not at its filed for cruise level of FL390 but was still at its initially assigned cruise level FL350. Windhoek ATC was in sole and continuous radio contact with REACH 4201, with no knowledge of GAF 074's movement. Luanda ATC was in radio contact with GAF074, but they were not in radio contact with REACH 4201. Luanda ATC did receive flight plans for both aircraft but a departure message for only REACH 4201. At 15:10 UTC both aircraft collided at FL350 and crashed into the sea.

Vnukovo Airlines - Vnukovskie Avialinii

Vnukovo Airlines flight VKO2801 departed Moscow-Vnukovo Airport at 04:44 UTC bound for Longyearbyen Airport on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. It was a chartered flight with workers and their families to coal mining towns on Svalbard. The flight was uneventful until the start of the descent. Before radio contact with Longyear Information, the crew went through the detailed landing procedure for runway 10. At 09:56, the crew were cleared to start the descent. A little later, the crew received additional information consisting of runway in use 28, wind 230 degrees at 16 knots, visibility more than 10 km, rain showers, clouds: few at 1500 feet, scattered at 2000 feet and broken at 4000 feet, temperature +5°C, dewpoint -0°C and QNH 1005 hPa. (Later changed to 1006 hPa). The crew tried to request runway 10 for landing twice, but the request was not understood as such by Longyear Information due to language difficulties. When the flight was overhead the ADV beacon, at 10:15 hrs, the crew reported their position to Longyear Information and entered the base turn with a bank angle of 22 degrees. At 10:16 hrs, the aircraft came out of this turn on magnetic heading 160 degrees. During the right turn to the base turn, a malfunction occurred in the electric trimming mechanism, which was corrected by the crew. At 10:17, the crew started the turn to bring the aircraft out on the magnetic inbound course 300 degrees, as prescribed by the approach chart. The distance from the airport at this moment was 14 NM (25.9 km), as prescribed by the approach chart, but the lateral deviation from the outbound magnetic course 155 degrees from ADV was 2 NM (3.7 km) to the left. At 10:18, after the radio altimeter aural warning had been activated twice, the co-pilot took the controls and, after 6 seconds, turned the autopilot pitch channel off by 'overriding' it. From then on until the impact, the flight continued in autopilot mode in the roll channel, and in manual mode in the pitch channel. The aircraft passed through the localizer centerline and when the turn had been completed, the aircraft rolled out on a magnetic heading of 290 degrees. At this time, there was a discussion within the crew as to whether or not the final turn had been made at the correct time. The discussion led to the roll out of the turn to final approach and a corrective turn to the right to magnetic heading 306 degrees. At this point, the aircraft was 14.7 NM (27.4 km) from the airport, 2.8 km to the right of the approach centerline, maintaining an altitude of 5000 feet (1520 m ) and the crew increased the flap setting to 28 degrees. The airspeed was reduced to approx. 330 km/hr (180 kts). Instead of intercepting the centerline, the crew continued the flight on the right side, more or less paralleling the localizer course with minor heading changes. At 10:20 the flight made a corrective turn, resulting in a track close to 300 degrees. At this point, the lateral deviation from the approach centerline was 3.7 km to the right. During this corrective turn, the aircraft started descending. At 10:21, the crew made yet another corrective turn to the right. At 10:22:05, the aircraft started turning towards the left. The distance to the airport was 8 NM (14.8 km). On this part of the final approach, the aircraft apparently entered an area of strong turbulence created by the proximity to the mountains. The GPWS then activated 9 seconds before impact. The crew reacted to this by applying power and initiating a pitch-up. At 10:22:23, 7.7 NM (14.2 km) from the airport at an altitude of 2975 feet (907 m), the aircraft collided with the top of the mountain Operafjellet 3.7 km to the right of the approach centerline. All 141 occupants were killed, most of them employees of a local carbon mine and their family members.

Dalavia - Dal'nevostochny Avialinii

En route from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Khabarovsk, while cruising at the assigned altitude of 10,600 metres, about 35 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft rolled to the right, entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a mountainous and isolated area located in the Sikhot-Alin Mountain Range. SAR operations were initiated but suspended a day later due to the deterioration of the weather conditions and started again four days later. The wreckage was found 11 days later about 50 km west of Grossevichi. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 98 occupants were killed.

Kazakhstan Airlines - Air Kazakhstan - Kazair

During the takeoff roll at Karachi-Quaid-e-Azam Airport, at a speed of 270-280 km/h, the pilot-in-command pulled up on the control column to start the rotation but the aircraft failed to respond. The crew decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and initiated an emergency braking procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, rolled for about 500 metres then lost its nose gear and came to rest. All 117 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

China Northwest Airlines

Twenty-four seconds after takeoff, while climbing, the crew encountered controllability problems. The captain contacted ATC and reported uncommanded rolled left and right up to 30°. The aircraft continued to climb but reached a high angle of attack when it nosed up to 20°, activating the stall warning alarm. The aircraft reached the altitude of 4,717 metres then rolled to the left, pitched down to an angle of 65° and entered an uncontrolled descent. At a speed of 747 km/h, the aircraft descended to the altitude of 2,884 metres in 12 seconds then suffered structural deformation and failure before crashing in an open field located 29 km southeast of Xi'an Airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 160 occupants were killed.

Baikal Airlines

While preparing the flight, the crew encountered technical problems with the engine n°2 and 17 minutes were necessary to start all three engines. A technical issue occurred with the starter of the engine n°2 and a warning light came on in the cockpit. The crew did not find any corrective actions in the operations manual and as he thought the warning was false, decided to take off. Four minutes after the aircraft departed Irkutsk Airport runway 12, while climbing, the starter located in the engine n°2 failed. Debris scattered around and hydraulic and fuel lines were cut. The crew declared an emergency and was cleared for an immediate return after the engine n°2 caught fire. Unfortunately, the crew was unable to extinguish the fire and the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and eventually crashed on farm buildings located about 11 km from the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 124 occupants were killed as well as one farmer. Another farmer was seriously injured.

Vnukovo Airlines - Vnukovskie Avialinii

Following an uneventful flight from Moscow, the crew completed the approach to Grozny in poor weather conditions. The aircraft landed nose first, causing it to be torn off. The aircraft slid on the ground for few dozen metres before coming to rest. All 172 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was written off.

ORBI Georgian Airways - ORBI Air Company

On final approach to Sukhumi-Babushara Airport, the aircraft was shot down by a surface-to-air missile and crashed near the runway threshold, bursting into flames. 24 people survived while 108 others were killed. All passengers were Georgian soldiers and policeman dispatched to Sukhumi.

Iran Airtour

The aircraft just departed runway 29R at Tehran-Mehrabad Airport and and continued to climb when it collided with an Iranian Air Force Su-24MK fighter that was preparing to land on runway 29L. Both aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed on a military depot located 15 km from the airport. All 131 occupants of the TU-154 and both pilots on board the fighter were killed.

Indian Airlines

On 9th January, 1993 TU-154 aircraft No. 85533 wet leased by Indian Airlines from Uzbekistan Airways was operating flight IC-840 from Hyderabad to Delhi. The aircraft was being flown by Uzbeki operating crew and there were 165 persons on board including the crew. The aircraft touched down slightly outside the right edge of the runway, collided with some fixed installations on the ground, got airborne once again and finally touched down on kutcha ground on the right side of the runway. At this stage the right wing and the tail of the aircraft broke away and it came to rest in an inverted position. During the process, the aircraft caught fire and was destroyed. Most occupants of the aircraft escaped unhurt. Six persons suffered either limb fracture or other serious injuries while 45 persons suffered injuries of a minor nature.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

The approach and landing to Yerevan-Zvartnots Airport was completed in poor weather conditions. Upon landing, the aircraft was not properly aligned with the centerline and landed too far to the right of the runway. Out of control, it veered off runway and eventually collided with a concrete wall. All 154 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Belarusian Civil Aviation Administration

The aircraft was completing a charter flight from Vladivostok to Minsk, carrying 62 Lithuanian tourists and five crew members. During the takeoff roll, at a speed of 320 km/h, the captain started the rotation but the aircraft failed to respond. The crew initiated an emergency braking procedure 1,000 metres from the runway end (the runway is 3,500 metres long). Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran at a speed of 200 km/h, lost its nose gear and came to rest 283 metres further. All 67 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Air Ukraine

After takeoff from Kiev-Borispol Airport, the crew informed ATC about landing gear problems and was cleared to return. On approach, the crew realized that the left main gear got stuck in its wheel well and decided to continue the descent. Upon touchdown, the aircraft fell on its left, slid for few dozen metres and came to rest on the runway. All 147 occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Transair Georgia Airlines

During the takeoff roll on runway 31R at Tbilisi-Novo Alekseyevka Airport, after V1 speed, the pilot-in-command started the rotation. The nose gear lifted off and the aircraft nosed up to an angle of 6-7°. Both main landing gear failed to lift off and the aircraft continued to roll until the end of the runway. It overran, rolled 490 metres, struck the localizer antenna, continued for 190 metres and eventually crashed in a residential area, bursting into flames. The aircraft as well as nine houses were totally destroyed. All 24 occupants as well as four people on the ground were killed, 10 others were seriously injured.

Balkan Bulgarian Airlines

The approach to Varna Airport was completed in poor weather conditions with a limited visibility due to heavy rain falls. The aircraft landed too far down a wet runway 27 and was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran, lost its nose gear and came to rest. All 134 occupants, most of them Swedish tourists, were evacuated safely, nevertheless several passengers suffered minor injuries. The aircraft was written off.

Cubana de Aviación

On approach to Mexico City-Benito Juarez Airport, the crew encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions. As he was unable to locate the runway, the captain decided to initiate a go-around procedure. Few minutes later, during a second attempt to land, the aircraft remained above the glide on short final and eventually landed too far down the runway. After touchdown, the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance and overran. While contacting soft ground, the left main gear collapsed, the aircraft slid for about 500 meters then collided with the ILS antenna, causing the left wing to be torn off. A fire erupted and destroyed a part of the left fuselage. All 112 occupants were evacuated, among them one passenger was slightly injured.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Sukhumi, the crew initiate the approach to Leningrad-Pulkovo Airport in heavy rain falls. At a distance of 7 km on approach, at an altitude of 400 meters and at a speed of 287 km/h, flaps were deployed to an angle of 45°. Fifteen seconds laters, at a distance of 5,700 meters, the crew was cleared to land and continued the approach when the aircraft passed below the glide. With a rate of descent of 7 meters per second and at a speed of 250 km/h, the aircraft struck the ground 13 meters short of runway threshold in a 1° nose down attitude and with a positive acceleration of 4,5 g. The aircraft broke in three parts and came to rest 80 meters to the left of the runway. 13 passengers were killed, 38 other occupants were injured and 130 escaped uninjured.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

The aircraft departed Basel Airport on a cargo flight to Moscow, carrying six crew members and a load of cigarettes. While cruising at an altitude of 10,600 meters, the crew declared an emergency after smoke spread in the cabin, and elected to divert to Prague-Ruzyne Airport. As the situation deteriorated on board, the crew was forced to attempt an emergency landing in an open field located in Velichovská, near Jaromer. In a flapless configuration, the aircraft landed at a speed of 370-390 km/h in a marshy field, struck a two-meters embankment and crashed in several pieces, bursting into flames. All six crew members escaped with minor injuries.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

During the takeoff roll, at a speed of 255 km/h, the captain initiated the rotation but the aircraft failed to respond. In such conditions, he decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and started an emergency braking maneuver. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost one main gear and came to rest 781 meters further. All 173 occupants were evacuated, among them 11 were injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It appears that aircraft was overloaded and the CofG was out of the envelope. In such conditions, a rotation was impossible.

TAROM - Transporturile Aeriene Române

The crew consisting of one instructor and four pilot under supervision were engaged in a local training mission at Bucharest-Otopeni Airport. Shortly after takeoff, while in initiale climb, the aircraft went out of control and crashed. all five occupants were killed. It is believed that the loss of control occurred while the instructor was simulating an engine failure.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

During the takeoff roll at Monrovia-Roberts Intl Airport, at V2 speed, the captain elected to takeoff but the aircraft failed to rotate. Takeoff was rejected and the crew initiated an emergency braking procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran at a speed of 200 km/h and collided with a drainage ditch. The nose gear was torn off while the right main gear collapsed. The aircraft came to rest 487 meters past the runway end and was damaged beyond repair. All six crew members escaped with minor injuries.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Yerevan, the crew initiated the approach to Aleppo in moderate turbulences. On final, the aircraft was unstable and out of trim when it adopted an excessive rate of descent of 5,5 meters per second and struck the runway surface. On impact, the undercarriage were torn off. The aircraft slid on its belly, overran and came to rest, broken in two. At least 60 occupants were injured.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

For unknown reasons, the TU-154M landed hard at Norislk-Akylev Airport and was considered as damaged beyond repair due to severe fuselage deformation. There were no injuries.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

At 1453LT, while in cruising altitude over Vologda on a flight from Irkutsk to Leningrad via Kurgan, a group of 11 hijackers (all from the same Oveshkin Family) informed the cabin crew that a bomb was on board and requested to be flown to London. The captain explained that he did not have sufficient fuel to fly to UK and proposed to make a stopover in Finland. In accordance with the authorities and his corporate, the captain eventually landed at the Veshchevo Airbase located 105 km northwest of Leningrad, near the Finnish border. After landing, hijackers realized they were not in Finland and open fire in the cabin. As a door could be open by a crew member, police officers entered the cabin and open fire as well. When the hijackers realized their hijacking attempt failed, two of them committed suicide. The aircraft was partially destroyed by fire and nine people were killed, five hijackers, one stewardess and three passengers. 19 other people were injured in the event.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Moscow-Domodedovo, the crew started a night approach to Krasnovodsk Airport. The visibility was reduced due to the night combined with clouds down to 400 meters. The copilot was the pilot-in-command and he completed the approach at a speed of 270 km/h with flaps down at 28°. During the last segment, flaps were downed to an angle of 45° when the rate of descent increased to 10 meters per second. At a height of 30 meters, the copilot did not have visual contact with the runway but the captain decided to continue the approach. At an excessive speed of 275 km/h, the aircraft touched down 3 meters to the left of the runway centerline. It bounced, rolled for few hundred meters and came to rest on the main runway, broken in two. Eleven passengers were killed, 120 people were injured while 15 other escaped uninjured.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Chelyabinsk to Moscow in relative good weather conditions, the crew started the descent to Moscow-Domodedovo when the weather conditions worsened. While descending to an altitude of 3,600 meters, the aircraft entered an area of heavy rain falls and icing (a cold front was passing over Moscow at that time). The Pitot tubes became obstructed, modifying some instruments settings. The airspeed indicator fell to zero and the crew thought the aircraft was near stall conditions so he initiated an emergency descent with a rate of descent of 100 meters per second and a speed of 813 km/h. The aircraft encountered positive acceleration of 3,2 g and suffered structural damages. The crew was able to divert to Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport where an emergency landing was completed. All 185 occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was later declared as damaged beyond repair due to irreparable damages to the main structure (fuselage).

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

After takeoff from Karsi Airport, the aircraft climbed at an insufficient speed of 470 km/h with a max speed of 515 km/h. The cruising altitude of 11,600 meters was reached after 40 minutes and 20 seconds. The speed dropped to 400 km/h then the aircraft reached a critical angle of attack (+20°) when vibrations started. The crew misinterpreted these vibrations and failed to judge properly the situation in reducing the engine power to idle. The speed dropped to 290 km/h when the aircraft stalled and entered a spin. The aircraft eventually went into a flat attitude and crashed in an isolated and desert area located in the region of Ushquduq. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact and all 200 occupants were killed.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

After takeoff from Krasnoyarsk-Cheremshanka Airport, while climbing to an altitude of 2,040 meters at a speed of 480 km/h, the right engine (engine n°3) suffered an uncontained failure and caught fire. The crew declared an emergency and was cleared to return for an emergency landing. On final approach, the aircraft banked right then nosed down and crashed at a speed of 425 km/h 3,200 meters short of runway threshold and disintegrated on impact, some 11 seconds prior to landing. A passenger was seriously injured while 110 other occupants were killed.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Krasnodar, the crew started the approach to Omsk Airport in a reduced visibility due to the night and rain falls. The aircraft landed at a speed of 270 km/h and about one second later, the captain noticed the presence of vehicles on the runway. He initiated a turn to the right when the left wing struck the vehicles. Upon impact, all three vehicles were destroyed and the four people on board were killed instantly. Out of control, the airplane turned to the left, veered off runway and came to rest upside down, broken in two, bursting into flames. Four crew members and one passenger survived while all 174 other occupants were killed.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Krasnoyarsk, the crew started the descent to Norilsk-Alykel Airport. At an altitude of about 600 meters and a speed of 370 km/h, the undercarriage were lowered. At a distance of 19 km from the airport, at an altitude of 500 meters and a speed of 300 km/h, flaps were deployed to an angle of 28°. At this time, the crew calculated the landing speed at 265 km/h according to flight conditions and the total weight of the aircraft. Unfortunately, this calculation was wrong and the correct speed should be 270 km/h. On short final, the airplane descended below the glide and struck the ground at a speed of 261 km/h about 470 meters short of runway threshold. It slid for about 300 meters on an icy ground before coming to rest, bursting into flames. 68 occupants were injured while 99 others were killed, among them four crew members. The aircraft was destroyed.

Malév Hungarian Airlines - Magyar Légiközlekedési Vallalat

The descent to Prague-Ruzyne Airport was completed in marginal weather conditions with limited visibility. On final approach the airplane was too high on the glide and the crew decided to continue. At a height of about 5 meters, the crew deployed de spoilers and reduced the engine power, causing the airplane to descent abruptly. It struck the runway surface with a positive acceleration of 4 g and broke in two before coming to rest in the center of the runway. All 81 occupants were evacuated, among them 40 were injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

The airplane departed Moscow-Vnukovo Airport on a schedule service to Bratsk with an intermediate stop in Omsk. On approach to Bratsk Airport, the crew encountered limited visibility due to heavy rain falls. One second after touchdown, the reverses were activated on all three engines and the airplane rolled for about 800 meters when it started to veer to the left. The pilot-in-command attempted to counteract the deviated but the airplane rolled another 526 meters when it veered off runway. It rolled few dozen meters on soft ground then came to rest, broken in two. All occupants escaped uninjured.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

On final approach to Chita-Kadala Airport, the aircraft was too high on the glide and the captain did not want to initiate a go-around. So, he pushed on the control column and the aircraft nosed down and struck the ground 240 meters past the runway 11 threshold. Upon impact, the nose gear was torn off. The aircraft continued for few hundred meters then veered off runway to the right and came to rest in flames in a grassy area, broken in two. All 184 occupants were rescued, among them four were injured. The aircraft