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
What: Vladivostok A320 en route from Novosibirsk to Krasnodar Where: Novosibirsk When: Jul 3rd 2011 Who: 152 passengers and 8 crew Why: After takeoff from Novosibirsk, the plane’s right engine ingested a hawk.
The pilot burned off fuel and made a safe landing three hours later with engine vibration.
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.
On board RusAir Flight 9605, there were 9 crew members, and a total of 52 people, 44 of whom died on the scene. At this time of the year, in Petrozavodsk, this is the time of White Nights so the accident occurred in subdued daylight. One died on 22 June 2011.
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.
About last tuesday’s Fatal Rusline/RusAir Tupolov crash in Russia, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Sergei Ivanov, mentions that familiar phrase “obvious pilot error” while simultaneously promising he is not pre-emping the findings of the actual investigation. Officials have made spontaneous statements in the past, and lived to regret it, so that point remains to be seen.
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.
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.
What: Gazpromavia Boeing 737-700 en route from Moscow to Nadym Where: Nadym When: Jun 16th 2011 Who: 51 passengers and 5 crew Why: Unruly passenger had hallucinations, threatened airline crew, claimed his phone was a bomb, etc. Emergency services met the flight when it landed and took the passenger off their hands, where he was taken to a mental hospital and diagnosed with “alcoholic hallucinosis.”
What: Avianova Airbus A320 en route to Rostov Where: Kuban region, Russia When: June 3, 2011 Why: Pilots were approaching Rostov airport at (altitude) 300-400 meters when a green laser blinded one of the members of the flight crew.
The pilots managed to make a safe landing, then reported the laser situation.
What: Aerosvit/Dniproavia Embraer ERJ-145 en route from Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) to Moscow Where: Moscow When: Apr 28th 2011 Who: 30 passengers 4 crew Why: After making a safe landing, the plane rolled off the runway and the gear struts collapsed.
What: Donavia Boeing-737-500 passenger airliner flying from Rostov to Tel Aviv Where: Sochi, Russia Who: 99 passengers * also reported as 103 Why: The flight made a scheduled stop at Sochi, but after takeoff had undesignated problems in the air, and had to return to make an emergency landing. A replacement plane arrived to perform the remainder of the flight about six hours later.
The problem was due to cabin pressure from a leaking door seal.
What: Voronezh Aircraft Joint Stock Company (VASO) Antonov 148-100E on the border between the Voronezh and Belgorod regions. Where: Garbuzovo, Belgorod Region (Russia) When: Mar 05, 2011 Who: 6 fatalities Why: The new Antonov-148, being developed in the Ukraine in cooperation with 14 countries, and was sold by the Voronezh Aircraft Factory to the Myanmar Air Force and is designed to carry 79 to 99 passengers. Hundreds of technical problems have been recorded, but the plane is still in its testing phase. On a test flight to Myanmar, witnesses saw a wing and the tail fall off the plane while it was still in the air over a school and kindergarten. The crew managed to avoid the school, and the plane crashed and burned in a field.
Two pilots from Myanmar died at the crash. Those killed included Yuri Zubritsky, First Class Test Pilot, Captain; First Class Test Flight Navigator Vladimir Yasko; Test Engineer Alexander Korolyov; Lead Flight Test Engineer Anatoly Samoshkin and two Republic of the Union of Myanmar pilots Htein-Lin-Aung and Zaw-Htun-Aung. The flight recorders have been recovered.
Five engines and 13 firefighters responded.
The plane’s contractor was JSC Voronezh Aircraft Manufacturing Company. (VASO). The plane had flown 31 flights.
What: Rostov ROSTO Where: 20 km from Naryn-Khuduk, Kalmykia Russia When: Feb 6 2011 Who: 2 aboard, 2 fatalities Why: At around 14:00, the crew made an emergency landing because of engine trouble and then fixed it. The helicopter was engaged in shooting wolves in the Chernozemelskiy region of Kalmykia. Shortly after liftoff, the Mi-2 helicopter crashed Saturday, killing both crew members (pilot and mechanic). The helicopter—reportedly belonging to either the “Russian Defense Sports and Technical Organization” or “Aero Club”—apparently could not keep aloft.
Immediately following the crisis of the 27 year old Tupolev that blew up before taking off on January 1, 2011, is yet another problem for Russia’s suffering Aviation reputation.
The electricity to Domodedovo Airport failed twice this week, with the airport being without electricity for a half hour on January 2nd and avoiding a shut down thanks to the backup generator now being utilized.
In December Domodedovo was shut down for two days due to electrical problems from an ice storm, which is why the backup generator is now in place. 300,000 Moscow residents were reported to be out of power.
What: Transaero Boeing 767 300 en route from Domodedovo to Hurgada Egypt Where: Rostov-on-Don When: Reported on Dec 1 2011 Who: 214 passengers Why: While en route, engine problems forced an unnamed Transaero Boeing crew to divert to Rostov-on-Don reportedly due to undisclosed engine problems. However, date, plane and preliminary cause have not been verified. It apparently had the same number aboard as Kolavia Flight 348 (214) which burned on the runway before being able to take off for Moscow.
What: Russian Air Force Antonov 22A en route from Voronezh to Tver-Migalovo Where: Krasny Oktyabr, Tula Region, Russia When: Dec 28, 2010, 21:30 Who: 12 crewmembers (all fatalities) Why: After disappearing from radar at 21:30, the Russian military transport plane on a return flight after delivering a MiG-31 fighter jet to the Voronezh Military Aviation Engineering University crashed near Krasny Oktyabr, Tula Region, Russia. There was no cargo. The burning remains were sighted by air patrols on Tuesday at 23:36 four kilometres from the village of Troitskoye. Witnesses heard an explosion.
Two on site recovery teams hampered by a blizzard and brutal cold weather found that all 12 crew members had been killed. Russian reports speculate that the cause was engine failure. The Antonov is a military cargo turboprop.
The Russian military is grounding all planes with similar engines, pending determination of the cause of the crash.
What: UTAir Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-200 en route from Kazan to Moscow Where: Moscow When: Dec 27th 2010 Who: 52 passengers Why: On landing at Vnukovo Airport (Moscow), the plane skidded and came to rest off the runway stuck in snow. There were no injuries reported.
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.
What: NARZ Mi-8T helicopter RA-22376 en route from Kyshtovka Where: n the vicinity of the Krapivin oil field of OAO Tomskneft VNK in the Kargasoksky district When: November 25, 2010 12:12 Who: Eight killed, three injured Why: The helicopter carrying shift workers and 1.6 tons of cargo had been hovering over the landing site when an uncontrolled rotation of the aircraft began. The Mi-8 drifted for about 50 meters, tipped over to its side, collapsed and caught fire. A criminal case has been initiated, a violation of traffic safety and air transport operation regulations, entail the death of two or more persons by negligence.
The black box, previously reported as being missing, has been found.
What: NARZ Mi-8T helicopter RA-22376 en route from Kyshtovka Where: Strezhevoy, Omsk Region Krapivinskoye field When: Nov 25, 2010, 12:12 Who: 7 crew Why: It is reported that on approach, the helicopter went into uncontrollable rotation with subsequent separation of the end beam and the screw gear , then it fell on its side about 50 yards from the landing site. With tanks filled with fuel, they ignited, and the helicopter exploded. It was reported there were 7 crew fatalities and 3 surviving boat crew. Three survivors, who are in the hospital, are Chernov Stanislavski, Kosolapov Victor Ye, Laktyuhin Oleg. Two are stable, one has burns. The helicopter was carrying 1600 kg of food.
What: Tulpar Air Yakovlev Yak-42 en route from Kazan to Moscow Where: Kazan When: Nov 12th 2010 Who: 41 passengers Why: Not long after take off, one of the engines had to be shut down. The pilot returned to Kazan where the plane made a safe landing. A replacement plane was provided for the passengers. This charter flight was to transport a soccer team, but they had to wait for the replacement jet.
What: Grozny Avia Yakovlev Yak-42 en route from Moscow to Grozny Where: Volgograd Russia When: Oct 3 2010 Who: 73 passengers Why: Several minutes after takeoff, an anonymous call from Belarus to the Vnukovo airport raised a bomb alert that forced the emergency landing of the flight in Volgograd.
Passengers disembarked and the plane has been isolated for examination.
What: Tatarstan Airlines en route from Antalya, Turkey to Ekaterinburg, Russia Where: aboard the plane Why: Instead of the 148-seat Boeing 737 that was booked, they had a 142-seat 737; and 6 passengers were given the choice of waiting for the next flight or flying standing up. During turbulence, the passengers sat on the floor. The airline offered them $200 in compensation. The passengers are asking for $4,700.
(Can you imagine how much they’d be asking if they were in the US?)
What is this, a third world country where there are no rules and laws about flight safety? Well, Tatarstan flies out of Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia.
MAK, the Interstate Aviation Committee investigated the Mar 22nd crash of the Aviastar-TU Tupolev TU-204-100 ferry flight en route from Hurghada Egypt to Moscow, and banned it from operating as a passenger airline. On the day of the crash, after the flight control computer failed, the Tu-204 flew 700 feet left of the runway when it was landing. The pilot was found to have “poor training” on simulators that did not correspond with the plane. According to Flight Global, “the crew failed to execute a go-around.”
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.
