1976 Anapa mid-air collision

Aeroflot

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

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence

The 1976 Anapa mid-air collision involved the fatal crash of two Aeroflot flights: Flight 7957, an Antonov An-24RV, and Flight S-31, a Yakovlev Yak-40, on September 9, 1976, near the coast of Anapa within the Soviet Union. The accident resulted in the loss of all 70 individuals aboard both planes. Investigation concluded that the incident was primarily caused by a mistake made by air traffic control personnel. Notably, the fuselage of the Yak-40 was never recovered.

Antonov An-24RV

Aeroflot Flight 7957 operated an Antonov An-24 model registered as CCCP-46518, carrying a total of 52 occupants—47 passengers and five crew members. This aircraft was manufactured in Kiev and had its maiden flight in 1973. At the time of the accident, it had accumulated a flight time of 6,107 hours and undergone 4,626 pressurization cycles.Template:Fix/category

Crew

The cockpit team onboard consisted of five personnel:Template:Fix/category

• Captain Mikhail Gutanov (Михаил Михайлович Гутанов)
• First Officer Anatoly Buryi (Анатолий Антонович Бурый)
• Flight Engineer Vladimir Pimenov (Владимир Александрович Пименов)
• Navigator Sergey Artemyev (Сергей Леонидович Артемьев)

Yakolev Yak-40

Aeroflot Flight S-31 was operated by a Yakovlev Yak-40 bearing the registration CCCP-87772, carrying 14 passengers alongside 4 crew members. This aircraft was manufactured in 1970 at the Saratov Aviation Plant and shortly thereafter assigned to Aeroflot. At the time of the incident, it had accumulated 6,842 flight hours and completed 7,174 pressurization cycles.Template:Fix/category

Crew

The flight deck team aboard the Yak-40 included:Template:Fix/category

• Captain Anatoly Ledenev (Анатолий Семенович Леденев)
• Co-pilot Vladimir Gapon (Владимир Яковлевич Гапон)
• Flight engineer Kevork Sandulyan (Кеворк Каспарович Сандулян)

Crash details

The Yakolev Yak-40 departed Rostov-on-Don Airport at 12:47 Moscow time, en route to Kerch. By 13:30:44, when the Yak-40 entered the Western Krasnodar airspace sector, the air traffic controller had been on duty for over six hours. The aircraft maintained an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 ft) upon entering this sector. After receiving clearance from the controller, the flight continued and reported passing the Novodmitrievskaya non-directional beacon at 13:34, still holding at 5,700 meters. According to the flight plan, a descent was scheduled after this point; however, the controller, occupied with other traffic, allowed the aircraft to remain at 5,700 meters as it proceeded along the Gelenjik-Kerch segment. At 13:43, the Yak-40 confirmed passing Gelendzhik at that altitude. The controller authorized continuation toward the Anapa transverse but again neglected to instruct a descent.Template:Fix/category

Meanwhile, an Antonov An-24 departed Donetsk Airport at 12:56 bound for Sochi. At 13:32, its crew reported entry into Krasnodar’s Western sector on the Primorsko-Akhtarsk route at an altitude of 5,700 meters—the same level as the Yak-40 in that airspace. The controller cleared the An-24 to proceed to Anapa maintaining this altitude and further permitted continuation to Dzhubga without any altitude adjustment.Template:Fix/category

At precisely 13:51:05 Moscow time, a mid-air collision occurred between the An-24 and Yak-40 at 5,700 meters altitude, resulting in both aircraft losing their tail sections. The planes disintegrated mid-flight and debris descended into the Black Sea. Tragically, all 70 individuals aboard both aircraft perished. Wreckage from the An-24 and the Yak-40’s tail section were located on the seabed at depths ranging from 500–600 metres (1,600–2,000 ft). While most victims from the An-24 were recovered from the water, no bodies or fuselage fragments from the Yak-40 were retrieved.

Causes

The investigation primarily relied on radio transmissions and ground communication to establish the accident's origin. The main factor was identified as the air traffic controller's breach of regulations regarding aircraft separation. Additional contributing factors included insufficient vigilance from both flight crews and inadequate situational awareness prior to the collision.