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An Aeroflot Tu-124V, similar to the one involved in the accident
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Accident | |
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Date | 16 December 1973 |
Summary | Failure of the horizontal stabilizer resulting in a loss of control |
Site | Near Karacharovo, Russian SSR 55°44′26″N 35°47′15″E / 55.74056°N 35.78750°E / 55.74056; 35.78750 |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-124V |
Operator | Aeroflot |
Registration | СССР-45061 |
Flight origin | Vilnius Airport (VNO/EYVI), Lithuanian SSR |
Destination | Moscow-Vnukovo Airport (VKO/UUWW), Russian SSR |
Occupants | 52 |
Passengers | 45 |
Crew | 7 |
Fatalities | 51 |
Survivors | 1 |
Aeroflot Flight 2022 was a scheduled Soviet domestic passenger flight between Vilnius AirportinLithuanian SSR and Vnukovo International AirportinMoscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union that crashed on 16 December 1973, killing 51 people on board. The five hundred mile flight suffered a loss of control as a result of a malfunction of its elevator, causing it to crash as it made its final descent into Moscow. At the time of the crash it was the worst accident in aviation history involving a Tupolev Tu-124, since it entered service with Aeroflot in 1962.[1]
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Tupolev Tu-124V, registered СССР-45061, to Aeroflot. The Tu-124V was a variant of the original Tu-124 which had been introduced in 1962. The 'V' variant of the Tu-124 modified the aircraft to be able to seat 56 passengers, instead of the original 44, and also had increased range and payload capacity. СССР-45061 was equipped with two Soloviev D-20P turbofan engines and had first flown in 1964. It was assigned to Aeroflot's Lithuania division. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had sustained 14,903 flight hours and 13,832 pressurization cycles.[2]
Six crew members were aboard Aeroflot Flight 2022. The flight crew consisted of:
The crew also included a junior police lieutenant as a sky marshal (they were added after the hijacking of Aeroflot Flight 244 in 1970).[3]
All of the passengers were Soviet citizens, with the exception of one who was a West German citizen. Majority of the passengers were Lithuanians. They included four noted Lithuanian pediatricians, including Petras Baublys [lt], who traveled to a medical conference in Kharkiv. Bodies of the victims were cremated in Moscow on 21 December. The four doctors were buried in a public ceremony attended by Lithuanian First Secretary Antanas SniečkusinAntakalnis Cemetery.[4]
At 18:10 MSK on 16 December 1973, СССР-45061 took off from Vilnius AirportinLithuania SSR and proceeded east on a flight to Moscow-Vnukovo Airport in Russia with six crew and 45 passengers on board. Flight 2022 climbed to a cruising altitude of 7,800 meters (25,600 feet) and at 19:03 MSK air traffic controllers in Moscow gave the pilots clearance to begin a descent to 5,700 meters (18,700 feet). At 19:11 MSK the pilots reported the aircraft had entered a steep dive and were having difficulties recovering. Just 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) above the ground the pilots were able to briefly stabilize the aircraft however it then entered a stall followed by a spin. At 19:13 MSK the aircraft crashed into the ground near the village of Karacharovo, northwest of Moscow. All 51 people aboard the aircraft were killed. At the time of the crash, visibility was reported to be 2-4 kilometers with haze and cloudy skies.[5]
An investigation ruled out engine problems or weather having playing a part in the crash. In addition, there were no physical jams in the aircraft's rudder, aileron, and wing trim tab components. Investigators determined that a spontaneous short circuit had caused the elevator trim tab to deflect to and maintain an upward position. As a result, the pilots lost horizontal control and entered into an irrecoverable dive.[5]
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1973 (1973)
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Jan 21 Jan 22 Kano Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 crash Jan 29 Feb 19 Feb 21 Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 Feb 24 Feb 26 DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet 24 crash Mar 3 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307 Mar 5 Apr 10 Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 Apr 23 May 11 May 18 May 30 May 31 Jun 3 Jun 10 Jun 20 Jul 11 Jul 22 Jul 23 Jul 23 Jul 31 Aug 13 Aug 18 Aug 28 Sep 8 Sep 11 Sep 27 Texas International Airlines Flight 655 Sep 30 Oct 13 Nov 2 Nov 3 Nov 3 Nov 21 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur Crash Nov 23 Italian Air Force C-47 Argo 16 crash Nov 25 Dec 16 Dec 17 Dec 17 Pan Am Fl. 110, Lufthansa Fl. 303 hijacking Dec 22 Royal Air Maroc Caravelle crash | |
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