Aeroflot Flight 1491

Summary

Aeroflot Flight 1491 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Moscow-Vnukovo Airport to Kharkiv Airport in the USSR that crashed on 18 May 1972 while descending to land in Kharkiv, killing all 122 passengers and crew aboard the Antonov An-10.

Aeroflot Flight 1491
An Aeroflot Antonov An-10 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date18 May 1972 (1972-05-18)
SummaryStructural failure leading to loss of control
SiteNear Kharkiv, Ukraine
49°54′56″N 36°39′02″E / 49.91556°N 36.65056°E / 49.91556; 36.65056
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAntonov An-10A
OperatorAeroflot
RegistrationCCCP-11215
Flight originVnukovo Airport
DestinationKharkiv Airport
Occupants122
Passengers114
Crew8
Fatalities122
Survivors0

Aircraft and crew edit

Aircraft edit

Antonov An-10A, registration СССР-11215 (factory number 0402502, MSN 25-02), was manufactured at the Voronezh Aviation Plant on 3 February 1961. On 7 February 1961 it was delivered to Aeroflot's Kharkiv division. It was equipped with 4 turboprop Ivchenko AI-20 engines. At the time of the accident, the aircraft accumulated 11,105 flight cycles and 15,483 flying hours.

Crew edit

The flight crew responsible flying the aircraft was from the 87th Flight Squad (Kharkiv United Squadron). Captain Vladimir Vasiltsov was in charge of this flight;[1] first officer Andrei Burkovskii, navigator Aleksandr Grishko, flight engineer Vladimir Shchokin, and radio operator Konstantin Peresechanskii were also in the flight deck.[2]

Synopsis edit

Flight 1491 took off from Moscow-Vnukovo Airport at 10:39 en route to Kharkiv in the Ukrainian SSR. While descending from its cruising altitude of 7,200 metres (23,600 ft) to an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), the Antonov An-10 suffered structural failure resulting in the separation of both wings.[3] The fuselage then plunged into a wooded area, killing all 114 passengers and 8 crew on board the aircraft.[4][5][6]

Aftermath edit

Pravda reported on the crash of Flight 1491 shortly after it happened. At the time, it was unusual in the Soviet Union for there to be press reports on domestic air crashes.[7]

The probable cause of the crash was determined to be the center wing section failing due to a fatigue crack in the lower central wing panel.[8]

Following this accident, Aeroflot ceased the An-10 operations.[9]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Сегодня – Международный день музеев – РЕДПОСТ". m.redpost.com.ua. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Катастрофы Самолета Ан". prostobook.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  3. ^ "- | Газета ВРЕМЯ". timeua.info. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Катастрофа Ан-10А Украинского УГА в районе Харькова". www.airdisaster.ru. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Герой своего времени: история самолета Ан-10. Часть 2". naukatehnika.com (in Russian). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Ан-10 и безопасность. Или — «Летайте самолётами…» — Русский Топ" (in Russian). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Soviet Air Crash Bared". The Sun. 20 May 1972.
  8. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Antonov 10A CCCP-11215 Kharkov Airport (HRK)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  9. ^ Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 105.

External links edit

  • Aeroflot Flight 1491 at planecrashinfo.com