Yakovlev Yak-42

Yak Service

The aircraft was chartered by the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team to carry his staff to Minsk to take part to the first game of the Russian 2011-2012 championship. During the takeoff roll from runway 23 at Yaroslavl-Tunoshna Airport, the crew selected flaps down at 20° and the stabilizer in a nose-up position of 8,7°. The aircraft slowly accelerated to 165 km/h due to a residual pressure on the brake pedal. At a speed of 185 km/h and at a distance of 1,350 metres from the runway end, the nose gear lifted off. But the aircraft continued, passed the runway end and rolled for about 400 metres before it took off. Then it collided with various approach lights and the localizer antenna, lost height and eventually crashed on the shore of the Volga River, bursting into flames, 2 minutes after the takeoff roll was initiated. A passenger and the flight engineer were seriously injured while 43 other occupants were killed. Almost a week later, the passenger died from his injuries. Among the passengers were 26 players from the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team, Russian citizens and also Canadian, Czech, Ukrainian, German and Slovak. The Canadian coach Brad McCrimmon, his both assistants, the cameraman, three masseurs, one admin and two doctors were among the victims.

UM Air - Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines - Ukrainske-Tschermomorskie Avialinii

Chartered by the Spanish Government, the aircraft was completing a charter flight from Bishkek to Zaragoza with an intermediate stop in Trabzon, carrying 62 Spanish peacekeepers and 13 crew members. The 62 passengers were respectively 41 members of the Land Forces and 21 members of the Air Force who were returning to Spain following a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. While descending to Trabzon Airport by night, the crew encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions. Unable to establish a visual contact with the approach lights and the runway 29, the crew initiated a go-around procedure. Few minutes later, while completing a second approach, the crew failed to realize he was not following the correct pattern for an approach to runway 29 when the aircraft impacted a mountain at an altitude of 4,600 feet. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 75 occupants were killed. The wreckage was found 3,5 km east of the village of Maçka, about 23 km southwest of the airport.

Cubana de Aviación

The three engine aircraft departed Havana Airport on a special flight to Valencia-Arturo Michelena Airport with 12 passengers and 10 crew members on board. They were on their way to Valencia to pick up Cuban rescuers who were recently dispatched in Venezuela to help local authorities following heavy floods that killed more than 10,000 people. Following a holding circuit of about 40 minutes, the crew was cleared to descend from 8,000 feet to 4,000 feet when, on final, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt San Luis located 12 km short of runway. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 22 occupants were killed.

Aerosweet Airlines

AeroSvit Airlines Flight 241 was a scheduled service from Kiev, Ukraine to Thessaloniki, Greece with an en route stop at Odessa, Ukraine. The first leg of the flight was operated by a Boeing 737. Because of engine problems, an aircraft change had to be made at Odessa. The last leg of the flight was carried out using a Yakovlev 42 (UR-42334), which was being chartered from Lvovskie Avialinii. The flight crew had no previous experience in flying to Thessaloniki. The flight was dispatched from Odessa with the No 1 VHF/NAV receiver inoperative, which was contrary to the minimum equipment list (MEL), and took off at 17:23 hours UTC. The weather conditions at Thessaloniki Airport were above required approach and landing minima, however, darkness and an overcast cloud layer obscured awareness of mountainous terrain in the area. The flight was instructed by the approach controller to conduct the LAMBI1F standard arrival procedure and was cleared to execute a VOR-DME-ILS approach to runway 16. The aircraft did not follow the "19 DME arc" as required by the approach procedure, but proceeded directly to the THS NDB. It overshot the localizer course at least twice and the flight crew were unable to establish a stabilized approach. According to the CVR cockpit conversations, the flight crew was confused and uncertain with respect to the navigation aids and the information that was presented. During the approach there were no standard callouts made by the flight crew related to the glide slope, outer marker or minima. At 18:54 UTC the Thessaloniki Tower controller reported that they had passed the airport. The flight crew was unaware that they overflew the runway until they were informed by the controller. The flight crew then initiated a go-around but did not follow the published missed approach procedure, nor did they follow the instructions given by the ATC. Although instructed by ATC to proceed to, and enter the south holding pattern, the flight continued on a flight path to the west. The flight crew remained confused, disorganized, and disoriented during the missed approach and the subsequent clearances issued by ATC. They had lost situational and terrain awareness, and they were uncertain with respect to the radio navigation aids and the information that was presented. They also requested "route vectors" and "heading" twice although Thessaloniki Airport was a non-radar facility. The flight crew occasionally was confused in reading and reporting the correct distances on their DME equipment (miles to kilometers and vice versa) as their instruments displayed distances in kilometers. The flight crew in their effort to solve the navigational problem, often switched their focus from VOR/DME information to ADF, and vice versa. This, in conjunction with the VHF/NAV receiver malfunction, contributed greatly to the confusion in the cockpit and to the loss of orientation. At 19:12 UTC the GPWS sounded for 4 seconds. At the same time the approach controller radioed: "AEW number one, continue VOR-DME/ILS approach minima, continue and report approaching the outer marker". The crew replied: "Outer marker will be report`. After a while the approach controller asked: "AEW-241, do you have the field in sight?". At that time the GPWS sounded again. Shortly afterwards the aircraft impacted the side of Mount Pente Pigadia at 3300 feet. The wreckage was found at 10:30 hours, December 20. At the same date a Greek Air Force Lockheed Hercules, which was being used in the search, crashed, killing all 5 on board. On October 6, 2000 a trial began with two air traffic controllers being accused of many counts of manslaughter and of violating the transportation regulations. They were sentenced to five years imprisonment. In December 2002 a Thessaloniki appeals court reduced the sentences of two air traffic controllers to four years and four months each.

Avioimpex

The three engine aircraft departed Geneva-Cointrin Airport in the evening on a charter flight to Skopje, carrying 8 crew members and 108 passengers, most of them citizens from Kosovo working in Switzerland and returning home for the winter break. While descending to Skopje-Brazda Airport, the crew was instructed by ATC to divert to Ohrid due to poor weather at Skopje (snow falls). On final approach to Ohrid Airport in limited visibility, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the GPWS alarm sounded for seven seconds. The aircraft struck tree tops and crashed on the slope of Mt Trojani (1,204 metres high) located 2 km from the airport. A man aged 20 was seriously injured while 115 other occupants were killed. Few days after the crash, the only survivor died from his injuries.

China General Aviation Corporation - CGAC

During the takeoff roll on runway 06, after passing decision speed, the crew started to rotate but the aircraft failed to respond. The crew aborted takeoff and initiated an emergency braking procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran and rolled for about 420 meters. At a speed of 210 km/h, it struck successively a 6,7 metres deep drainage ditch and a 2 metres high embankment before coming to rest, bursting into flames. 19 people including one crew member were injured while 107 other occupants were killed.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Volgograd, the crew started a night descent to Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport. On final approach, the crew failed to realize he was misaligned and that his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft struck trees. It descended until it crashed in an open field located 1,700 meters short of runway 08 threshold and came to rest, broken in two. Three passengers and a crew member were killed while all other occupants were evacuated, among them 40 were wounded.

Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines

Enroute from Leningrad to Kiev, the crew was cleared to descend from 9,000 to 7,800 meters in order to avoid a thunderstorm area. Few minutes later, the three engine aircraft entered a dive. During an uncontrolled descent, the aircraft lost several elements then partially disintegrated and eventually crashed at a speed of 810 km/h in fields and wooded areas. A huge crater was found at the point of impact, near the village of Verbovichi, and debris scattered all around on an area of 22,7 km2 (6,5 km long and 3,5 km wide). The accident was not survivable.