1951 Novosibirsk Il-12 crash

Aeroflot

Industry	Aviation
Founded	1923
Headquarters	Moscow , Soviet Union
Products	Air transport services

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence

The 1951 Novosibirsk Il-12 accident involved an Ilyushin Il-12P operated by Aeroflot on November 17, 1951, resulting in the loss of all 23 occupants.

Aircraft

The Il-12P bearing registration CCCP-Л1775 (manufacturer’s serial number 93013112, production number 31-12) was manufactured at MMZ "Znamya Truda" on February 21, 1949. Shortly after production, it was assigned to the 1st Separate Aviation Group of the Civil Air Fleet. At the time of the incident, this aircraft had accumulated a total flight time of 2007 hours.

Events leading up to the crash

Flight No. 6 arrived in Novosibirsk from Moscow with Il-12 CCCP-Л1775. The flight crew comprised commander Pyotr Petrovich Averin, copilot Ruben Sergeyevich Aslanyants, flight engineer Ivan Matveyevich Kurchakov, and radio operator Viktor Ivanovich Kuznetsov. At that time, numerous travelers from Yakutia were present at Novosibirsk-Severny Airport en route to Moscow. To accommodate these passengers, an unscheduled additional flight was arranged using this Il-12. A total of 19 passengers boarded the aircraft.

During the preceding day, complex meteorological conditions had developed at the airport with approximately five forecasts issued by the AMS. The forecast for 09:00–15:00 predicted icing conditions; however, subsequent forecasts for 12:00–18:00 and 15:00–21:00 did not indicate icing. Despite this, both the AMS chief and a meteorologist verbally notified Aerodrome control tower dispatcher Shipitsin and Novosibirsk airport’s deputy head for flight services Uvarov—who was supervising flights—that icing was expected due to a delayed cold front. The meteorologist also reportedly informed airport head Zagorodny, deputy head of the West Siberian Directorate of Civil Air Fleet (ZSU GVG) Broverman, and ZPS GVG leader Filanovsky. While all three acknowledged consulting with the meteorologist, they denied receiving any warning regarding icing.

Between 15:00 and 16:30, cloud cover consisted entirely of stratiform and ragged-rain clouds at altitudes between 80 and 100 meters. Heavy wet snow was falling under moderate southerly winds; visibility ranged from 1000 to 1500 meters with an air temperature around +0.4 °C. At approximately 16:10, wind direction shifted northwestward causing temperatures to fall to −4 °C. This change brought dry, fluffy snow replacing the earlier wet snow. The accumulated wet snow began freezing. Aircraft moving from parking areas to aprons and then to takeoff positions became coated with dense snow layers; before taxiing for departure, wet snow was brushed off. While wet snow could be removed easily before freezing conditions set in, once frozen it formed an ice crust measuring between 12 and 15 millimeters thick.

Crash

At 15:34, a Lisunov Li-2 bearing the registration CCCP-Л4398, under the command of Commander Khristovson, initiated its takeoff from the airport. Shortly after becoming airborne, the aircraft began banking to the left, prompting the pilot to abort the takeoff procedure. The throttle was reduced and engines were shut down. The plane veered off the paved runway surface and came to a halt approximately 50 meters beyond it. Following this, Khristovson taxied back to the parking area and reported the incident—attributed to snow accumulation on the aircraft—to Shipitsin, Zagorodny, and Averin (pilot of Il-12 CCCP-Л1775) at the control tower. At 16:05, Commander Khorunzhiy inspected his Il-12, CCCP-Л1417, only to find it coated in ice that could not be removed with a broom. Consequently, he refused to commence takeoff and requested that the aircraft be de-iced using hot water, informing Zagorodny of his decision.

Meanwhile, airport management remained indoors, failing to notice the temperature dropping below freezing and the rapid formation of ice. They disregarded urgent warnings from pilots. Assuming that the Li-2’s excursion off the runway was due to a shift in wind direction, Broverman opted to reverse the takeoff heading by 180°, changing it from 195° to 15°.

At 16:22, Il-12 CCCP-Л1775, piloted by Averin, began its takeoff roll. Weather conditions included cloud cover at an altitude of 85 meters, visibility limited to 1000 meters, and dry snow falling; icing had already formed on surfaces. After ascending to 150 meters above aerodrome elevation (100 meters above surrounding terrain), the aircraft experienced a loss of speed. The crew retracted flaps and switched engine settings from nominal to takeoff power when a stall developed on the left wing, causing an increasing left bank. The plane rapidly descended and crashed at 16:23 with its left wing first, followed by the nose—engines still running—impacting terrain 30 meters from Mochishche quarry’s edge, 12 meters from a residential building, and 3100 meters beyond the runway threshold (2100 meters past BPRM and 900 meters before DPRM). The collision caused a 135° left rotation of the aircraft; subsequently, approximately three-quarters of the fuselage (up to frame 34 of 42) was destroyed by impact and fire. Wreckage spread over an area measuring roughly 40 by 40 meters. All 23 occupants perished.

Causes

The investigation swiftly identified the crash cause after examining remaining components such as stabilizers, fin, and right wing. Findings revealed ice accumulation measuring 15 millimeters thick along the entire leading edge of the stabilizer. Similar ice thickness was observed on both the fin and fuselage near this section. The wing exhibited ice deposits ranging from 8 to 10 millimeters in thickness.

The disaster’s contributing factors included:

1. Clearance for flight despite substantial ice presence on tail surfaces and wings.
2. Gross negligence—approaching criminality—by Severny Airport personnel who failed to halt departures despite urgent warnings from captains Khristovson and Khorunzhiy.
3. Criminally negligent decisions by Il-12 crew permitting takeoff with ice-covered aircraft.
4. Failures in weather forecasting by AMS Novosibirsk after noon which did not anticipate icing conditions.

Key individuals held accountable were:

1. Flight Supervisor Uvarov—left his control post without permission; aware of an imminent cold front but took no precautionary actions.
2. Airport Chief Zagorodny—neglected proper personnel management and oversight of equipment preparation and flight operations.
3. Head of Line Maintenance and Repair Shops Malinovsky—did not act to ready equipment or mobilize staff amid deteriorating weather.
4. Shift Engineer Gringauz and Control Master Pozdnyakov—failed to inspect aircraft condition prior to taxiing for departure.
5. Deputy Head of West Siberian Directorate of Civil Air Fleet Broverman—misjudged weather severity and did not decide to suspend flights.
6. Crew members of Il-12 Л1775.

References

3. Distinguished casualties among the passengers included Sheenson M.S., Borisov V. (patronymic unknown), and Gulyaeva (both first name and patronymic unconfirmed). The remains of these three individuals were interred together in a shared plot at Moscow's Danilovsky Cemetery.