The Tupolev TU-204 flying from Pyogyang, North Korea, to Beijing, China, had to divert due to smoke in its cabin.

The plane landed safely.

No injuries were reported.

The post Air Koryo Plane Diverts to China due to Smoke in Cabin first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The Tupolev TU-204 was en-route to Sochi, Russia when the crew had to shut one of its engines down mid-air.

The plane landed safely.

All 213 passengers and 8 crew members remained unhurt.

The post Red Wings Airlines Plane Returns to Russia due to Engine Shut Down first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The incident happened on November 25, when the plane was scheduled to fly from Igarka to the regional capital of Krasnoyarsk, with 74 passengers aboard.

According to the local transportation prosecutors, “Due to the low air temperatures, the chassis’s brake system froze and a tow truck was unable to move the plane onto the taxiway to carry out the flight…The passengers on board got out of the plane and started pushing it onto the taxiway.”

The passengers, mostly oil and gas workers, kept pushing the Tupolev-134 jet several meters on the taxiway. The flight was then able to take off successfully.

The incident is under investigation.

The post UTair Passengers Push Their Jet to Free it From Ice first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

No injuries were reported.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry did not provide details.

The post Tupolev Emergency Landing in Russia first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Beginning Feb 4, Red Wings will be suspended due to the results of an inspection that turned up pilot training and flight preparation breaches.

The Red Wings fleet is made up of Tu-204 jets.

WE WONDER if the airline is under safety suspension why they are waiting until Feb 4 to ground the airline. If it is truly unsafe, why is it not immediately grounded? Why wait?

Rosaviatsia has said it had found various violations, and claims the airline’s financial problems prevent adequate fleet maintenance.

The airline is owned by Alexander Lebedev who is affiliated with the Novaya Gazeta; his son owns Britain’s The Independent and Evening Standard.

Lebedev said the suspension is unfounded, that his airline was unfairly targeted, a political move, and a campaign against Tu-204 planes.

On January 31, Rosaviatsia officials questioned if Tupolev Tu-204 airliners should have been grounded after Tu-204 reverser failure at Moscow Vnukovo International Airport resulted in an accident that killed 5 Red Wings crew and injured 3.

On December 29, 2013, a Red Wings Tu-204 crashed on landing after overrunning runway 19 when engine thrust reverser shells to fail to deploy at Moscow Vnukovo International Airport. 8 crew aboard, 5 fatalities, 3 injuries.

On December 20, 2012, a Red Wings Tupolev Tu-204-100V skidded off the runway during landing at Tolmachevo Airport . No fatalities.

On May 24, 2009, a Red Wings Tupolev Tu-204 developed fuel system problems and diverted to Krasnodar. No fatalities.

On August 2, 2008, a Red Wings Tupolev Tu-204 made an emergency landing in Minsk after an engine failure. No fatalities.

The post Redwings Airlines Suspension Pending first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Their conditions are improving.

The five fatalities included the captain, first officer, flight engineer, and two flight attendants. One of the now-deceased flight attendants had survived a while with traumatic brain injury, but succumbed.

Russian investigators have started analysing the flight recorders.
Nose sections of the aircraft have been removed to a hangar used by the VARZ-400 maintenance company

Reports are that the runway was inspected an hour and a half before the flight landed and overrun it. Speculation is that there may have been a braking (thrust reverser) issue.

On Dec 31st 2012 Rosaviatsia released a modification to the aircraft operations manual requiring flight crew to apply reverse thrust only if the engine is operating

Application of reverse thrust is prohibited on a malfunctioning engine.

To apply reverse thrust the engine should be pulled to idle for 1-2 seconds, then command reverse thrust at minimum thrust, verify yellow “thrust reverser unlocked” followed by green “REV” indications appear, only then apply high reverse thrust. Rosaviatsia reported there have been a number of cases where the green “REV” indication did not appear (editorial note: there have been rumours since the Dec 20th overrun, that the crew had applied reverse thrust, the reverser however had not opened and at least one of the engine was delivering full forward thrust instead).

Debris falls on the highway (raw video)

Read More

The post Redwings Moscow Crash Has Three Survivors first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Initially traffic controllers refused to authorise landing, and the plane had to circle the airport. Fire trucks were not on standby; they were undergoing maintenance and were nearly an hour late.

The captain, copilot, flight engineer and one flight attendant were killed. Two died on the scene, one died en route in the ambulance, and one died at the hospital. Four crew survived with serious injuries. Pieces of the plane caught fire.

The plane overran the runway and struck the M3 highway embankment, breaking into three parts. The fuselage landed on the highway 320 meters from the end of the runway. A BBC report said the aircraft was in several pieces, with the cockpit on the highway. Kiev Highway and Vnukovo Airport were both shut down temporarily.

The post Four die in Red Wings Ferry Flight Crash in Russia first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Polish Air Force Tupolev TU-154M
Where: Smolensk
When: Apr 10th 2010
Who: 88 passengers and 8 crew
Why: The flight that killed 96 people including President Kaczynski has come to news attention as Poland protests Russia’s publication of grisly images of the crash showing mangled bodies, bodies in body bags, etc… Several websites were involved.

Russia’s federal Investigative Committee is looking into the leaked photo incident.

Russian investigators blame Poland for the crash; Polish invistigators blame Russian ground controllers for allowing the plane to land in heavy fog.

This comes after prior problems of misidentified passengers who were buried by the wrong families. Other agencies are looking into the problems of misidentification.

The post Russian Photos Not Released first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Kyrgyzstan/Altyn Air Tupolev 134A-3 en route from Bishkek to Osh
Where: Osh Airport, Kyrgyzstan
When: 28 DEC 2011
Who: 6 crew, 82 passengers, 25 injured
Why: After a hard landing in dense fog, the plane skidded off the runway, collapsing the right main gear, and flipped. As it rolled over, the right wing separated, and the ensuing fire was quickly contained by rescue services standing by. Passengers inside were hanging upside down, suspended by their seatbelts, but had to find a way to evacuate quickly, before the plane had a chance to explode. A fire occurred from a fuel leak in the remaining wing, but it was controlled.

The metar at the time of the landing was:
UAFO 280700Z 02002MPS 0300 R12/0550 FG VV001 00/00 Q1023 R12/19//50 TEMPO 0300 FZFG VV002 RMK QFE691/0922 BASE050M
Wind from 020 degrees at 2 m/sec; visibility 300m; on runway 12, touchdown zone visual range is 550m in fog; vertical visibility 100 m; pressure: 1023 hPa; temperature: 0°C.

Six crew members and nineteen passengers were hospitalized, but there were no fatalities reported. Nine children were aboard. The plane was evacuated.

Because of the incident, the airport (runway) was temporarily closed, and Osh-Bishkek flights are delayed.

Of the 25 reported injured and hospitalized, these have been identified: Rustamov A. b. 1977, Ismatova A. b. 1993, Turgunaliev Charles b.1960; and two injured, Mamatov A., born 1992, and Suyunbaeva A. 2011g.r. who are in a children’s hospital in Osh. The most seriously injured is a 19 year old girl.

Kyrgyzstan Airlines is on the EU banned list.

The post Wing Ripped off Crashing Tupolev Kyrgyzstan, Jet Rolls, No Fatalities first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The crucial factors included poor visibility due to the fog, poor networking among the crew, and the pilot subordinating himself to a navigator in a “light level of intoxication” but was five years older, with 25 years of flight behind him, with 13,000 hours on Tu-134 flights.

The body of the navigator had a 0.081% blood-alcohol level and it is conjectured that his pre-flight medical was falsified, because the pulse rate is identical to the rest of the crew.

Although the fleet is aging, no mechanical flaws are cited in the crash. However, according to the Wall Street Journal

Instead of the automated system required at Russian airports since 1992, investigators said, it measured visibility with nine signposts, but just two of them were illuminated.

The onboard alarm went off at an altitude 60 meters, when the plane was 270 meters to the right of the runway, eight seconds before it hit the trees and well past the time the navigator should have warned the pilot or the pilot or co-pilot to independently decide to pull up.

What: Rusline/Rusair Tupolev TU-134A en route from Moscow to Petrozavodsk
Where: outskirts of the Besovets village, Petrozavodsk, Russia
When: Jun 20 2011 at 11:40 pm
Who: 43 passengers and 9 crew, of whom only a flight attendant and 4 passengers survived.
Why: On approach to the airport, the plane struck the ground about 2600 feet shy of runway 2. On impact, the plane burst into flame, and skidded into the gardens of a residential area, although missing residences.

The post Drunken Navigator? first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The pilot shut down engine number two and made a safe landing in Abakan. The flight took 40 minutes on two engines.

The post Continentavia Diverts, Emergency Landing One Engine Shut down first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Rusline/Rusair Tupolev TU-134A en route from Moscow to Petrozavodsk
Where: outskirts of the Besovets village, Petrozavodsk, Russia
When: Jun 20 2011 at 11:40 pm
Who: 43 passengers and 9 crew
Why: Family members of the 44 deceased victims of the RusAir crash attempted to identify the bodies of their loved ones in Petrozavodsk, although visual identification in some cases was impossible. For those victims, DNA identification will be employed.

The RusAir crash occurred in heavy fog, carrying passengers from the Ukraine, Sweden, Holland, plus four people with dual Russian-U.S. Nationalities. The video below was released on 2011-06-23

Read More

• RussAir Death Toll Rises as 3 Succumb After Rescue
• Details on the Tu134 RusAir Crash
• The Official’s Unofficial Official Opinion…
• Russian Rusline/RusAir Tupolev Crash Kills 44, 8 Gravely Injured Survive

The post RusAir Update first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Final Report .pdf (very large)

The post Final report released on Polish Tupolev Tu-154 Crash first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Rusline/Rusair Tupolev TU-134A en route from Moscow to Petrozavodsk
Where: outskirts of the Besovets village, Petrozavodsk, Russia
When: Jun 20 2011 at 11:40 pm
Who: 43 passengers and 9 crew N
Why: On approach to the airport, the plane struck the ground about 2600 feet shy of runway 2. On impact, the plane burst into flame, and skidded into the gardens of a residential area, although missing residences.

Initially eight people survived, but on the 21st, a nine year old boy died, a woman died on the 25th, and a man died on the 26th.

Details on the Tu134 RusAir Crash

Russian Rusline/RusAir Tupolev Crash Kills 44, 8 Gravely Injured Survive

The post RussAir Death Toll Rises as 3 Succumb After Rescue first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Nationalities have been released:
one Swede
one from Netherlands
two Ukranians
4 with US/Russian citizenship (dual)
Fatalities include chief designer of Gidropress Sergei Ryzhov, and the deputy CEO and chief designer, Gennady Banyuk, and football ref Vladimir Pettay.

While on final approach to Petrozavodsk Airport in poor weather and heavy fog, Flight 9605 crashed on the A133 highway, 3900 feet shy of the runway. The weather during the arrival of the flight was deteriorating from OVC005 to OVC003 to fog with zero visibility. The black boxes were recovered. The fire at the crash was extinguished 45 minutes after midnight. The Tu-134 was 31 years old.

Russia is considering removing the Tu-134 from service.

Click title to access Karelia plane crash video

The post Details on the Tu134 RusAir Crash first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The question of pilot error is questionable. The plane was flying in at too low an angle, (I may have read somewhere that the angle was what was directed by ATC but my source could be mistaken.)

Flying too low, the landing gear caught on electrical wires which caused an area blackout that included the local town and the airport runway lights. Is being unable to land on a runway without lights something that could be called pilot error? I suppose that remains to be seen, also.

So the cause is up for grabs: bad weather, technical malfunction or human error. What’s left? We do not know yet. We rely on the investigation to reveal the facts.

Irrespective of what caused this horrible tragedy, the decedents were fault-free. Rusline and RusAir are responsible for compensating the families who had entrusted the safekeeping of their loved ones into their care.

There is no amount of money that will bring back the loved ones, but compensation is due.

For 44 individuals, it was fatal; for 8, it was nearly fatal. I hate to sound too judgmental here, but a government official should probably not make sweeping generalizations about the causes of a tragic event without making it clear what is personal opinion and what is an official statement. Every supposition before the official report is released is guess work. All the conjecturing that will take place between now and when an investigation report is released is just that–conjecture. Some of it will be based on emotional responses; some of it will be based on varying perception of what may or may not be facts. For now, we can offer condolences to the families.

All we know for certain is that the crash that should not have happen, did, and people’s lives were cut short because of it.

The post The Official’s Unofficial Official Opinion… first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Rusline/Rusair Tupolev TU-134A en route from Moscow to Petrozavodsk
Where: outskirts of the Besovets village, Petrozavodsk, Russia
When: Jun 20 2011 at 11:40 pm
Who: 43 passengers and 9 crew
Why: On approach to the airport, the plane struck the ground about 2600 feet shy of runway 2. On impact, the plane burst into flame, and skidded into the gardens of a residential area, although missing residences.

Eight passengers were retrieved alive from the wreckage, in conditions ranging from severe (6) medium severe (1), critical grave (1). 44 were killed. The injured were ported to Moscow via IL-76 with a full medical team aboard (15 doctors, 5 psychologists.) One crew member survived, Julia Skvortsova, an attendant, is struggling for survival.

The fire was under control by 1 a m on June 21. The investigation has just begun, and is cautioning the local papers not to jump the gun assuming runway lighting failure.

Metars: ULPB 201949Z 10002MPS 2100 RA BR OVC004 15 Q0993 TEMPO 1500 RMK QBB120 QFE741/0988 SC0, 6
ULPB 201900Z 15001MPS 3000 BR OVC005 15/14 Q0994 NOSIG RMK QBB170 QFE741/0989 SC0.6

The RusAir site expresses condolences to all who lost loved ones in the tragedy. The local family hotline numbers are:

8 (495) 626 37 07 ?oskva
8 (814) 256 16 34 ?etrozavodsk

The post Russian Rusline/RusAir Tupolev Crash Kills 44, 8 Gravely Injured Survive first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post RusAir Flight 9605 first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post Russian Plane Halts Due to Fire Alert first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Download here:
INTERSTATE AVIATION COMMITTEE AIR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COMMISSION
FINAL REPORT.pdf

The post Russian Report on Polish Crash first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Kolavia (Kogalymavia) Tupolev TU-154B2 from Surgut to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia)
Where: Surgut
When: Jan 1st 2011
Who: 116 passengers and 8 crew
Why: While preparing for takeoff, an engine caught fire; it started burning while taxiing on the runway, and the fire spread to the fuselage.

Passengers were evacuated in a cloud of thick black smoke, while panic ensued.

The plane completely burned on the runway. After the evacuation, there was an explosion. Emergency services could not put out the fire. One burned passenger’s body was found.

Initially reports were that one passenger was killed, two were burned, 32 were injured. 34 were hospitalized, 4 of whom in critical condition. On the latest update, the number of fatalities was increased to 3.

27 were hospitalized with problems due to poisoning due to combustion products. Two men had moderate leg injuries, and a child with carbon monoxide poisoning is in intensive care. The Russian pop group Na-Na was aboard and lost their possessions in the fire.

A criminal probe had been opened into a possible violation of air transport security rules.

The post Kolavia Flight 348 Burns on the Runway, 34 Injured, fatalities increasing first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Dagestan Airlines/South East Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 en route from Vnukovo to Makhachkala Russia
Where: Domodedovo airport
When: Saturday December 4, 2010
Who: 168 aboard including 8 crew (also reported as 155)
Why: Shortly after South East Airlines Flight 372 took off from Moscow, two of the Tupolev’s three engines failed (14:28). At 14:41, the pilot requested an emergency landing, initially at Vnukovo then at Domodedovo airport. The third engine failed as the plane was attempting to land in snow and freezing rain. The plane overshot the runway, and is reported to have struck buildings although missing a fence. Passengers say the plane broke apart when the plane hit a hill. The plane’s nose smashed and the fuselage broke into three sections. No fire or explosion occurred.

The pilot Zakarzhi Zakarzhaev has flown 17 thousand hours and is considered the most professionally trained commander of Dagestan, likely one reason there are survivors.

Passengers did not evacuate via emergency chute or ladder. They had to jump from the cabin to the ground to evacuate the wounded.

Engine failure has been conjectured to be attributed to flawed aviation fuel (filters clogged with debris or ice) or lack of maintenance. The 18-year old tri-jet is powered by Soloviev D-30KU engines.

Two were killed on impact, 83 injured were taken to 5 hospitals. 19 of these were very severe injuries—the number of fatalities has increased to 12 and may rise higher.

The mother of a constitutional court judge, Gadisa Gadzhyeva, died in the accident; the brother of Dagestan President Magomedsalam Magomedov has been hospitalized. Seven of the victims taken to the central regional hospital. Three victims were delivered to the Clinical Hospital N83 Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia and one to CITO Pirogov Health Ministry of Russia. 25 victims were directed to the medical institutions of the Department of Health in Moscow. There were two children, one of them taken to the Morozov Children’s Hospital, the second is in children’s emergency surgery Roshal. Others are in Institute of Emergency Care Sklifosovsky, and in various Municipal Hospitals (64th, 7th, 13th, etc…)

Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika took on a special control of the investigation. Photos were forbidden, and a criminal case was opened. An interview of Federal Service for Supervision of Transport of Russia supervisors indicated that they will be looking into the administration of Dagestan Airlines.

In November 2009, a Dagestan engine failed; and in August 2008 an engine caught fire. Dagestan Airlines has adopted the brand name ‘South East Airlines.’ Dagestan Airlines is an airline based in Makhachkala, in Russia’s North Caucasus region. The airline’s scheduled, charter and cargo services operate domestic and international routes from its hub at Uytash Airport.

The Moscow hotline is Moscow: 363-61-01; Emergency psychological assistance for victims families is (495) 626-37-07.

The investigation shows that at an altitude of 9000 meters engines #1 and #3 failed. Analysis of the flight data recorder confirms the initial fluctuations in fuel supply to all three engines at an altitude of about 9000 meters, wjem engines 1 (left) and 3 (right) failed, Engine #2 was unstable as well recovered and ran until landing. First touchdown occurred at a vertical acceleration of 3.5G and vertical accelerations over 5.0G.The fuel pumps system is being dismantled, fuel samples were taken from the left engine and left fuel tank and are being analysed.

The post South East Airlines Tupolev Crashes in Moscow first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post MAK Finds Aviastar Inadequate first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Alrosa Mirny Air Tupolev TU-154M en route from Yakutia/Polyarny to Moscow
Where: Komi republic, at the Izhma airport
When: Sep 7th 2010
Who: 72 passengers, three children, nine crew members
Why: Four hours into the flight, the plane suffered an on board power system failure. The plane suffered a complete failure of electrical power resulting in loss of navigation devices, fuel pumps and leaving the pilots with no knowledge of available fuel.

The pilot had to make an emergency immediate landing in the Komi republic, at the Izhma airport. The Izhma airport is normally used for helicopters in military operations, but it is a former 1200 meter airport runway. The plane overran the runway into a wooded area and was substantially damaged.

No passengers were hurt. They disembarked via slide in the forested area. The slide has seen better days. It is either third-hand, or has been used frequently.

The Komi Republic is arranging for transportation of passengers from Izhma to Ukhta (which is the nearest airport) by helicopter. On arrival in Ukhta, passengers will board a replacement flight and continue to Moscow

It appears that the carrier will leave the damaged plane where it sits, as it can not take off.

George’s Point of View

What an extraordinary feat to that plane safely. Imagine having no knowledge of how much fuel was left, or even if it would be accessible, with nowhere to land but on a helicopter landing strip, without power, with no way to brake. A harrowing ride, and some brilliant snap decisions on the part of the crew.

Click to view the runway

My hat is off to the pilot and crew.

The post Amazing Emergency Landing in Komi first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Kish Airlines Tupolev TU-154 en route from Mashad to Tehran
Where: Mashad
When: Aug 30 2010
Why: During takeoff, a tire burst. The flight returned to Mashad where it made a safe landing. Passengers were booked on alternative flights.

The post Kish Air Flat @ Mashad first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.