1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence

On February 7, 1981, a Tupolev Tu-104A passenger aircraft crashed shortly after initiating takeoff from Pushkin Airport near Leningrad, Soviet Union. All 50 individuals aboard perished, including 28 senior Soviet military officers. The official inquiry attributed the disaster to incorrect cargo distribution.

Accident

At 18:00 local time, the Tu-104A began its takeoff roll on runway 21 under snowy weather conditions. Upon reaching rotation, the plane's nose lifted beyond the standard takeoff pitch angle. Approximately eight seconds after liftoff, at an altitude near 50 m (160 ft) above ground level, the aircraft stalled and rolled into a right bank. The roll intensified until the airplane collided with terrain roughly 20 m (66 ft) from the runway’s departure end. The aircraft impacted nearly inverted and ignited, resulting in the deaths of 49 occupants. One crew member was forcefully ejected from the plane’s nose section and was discovered alive in the surrounding snow but succumbed en route to medical care.

Aircraft

The Tupolev Tu-104A involved in the incident was originally registered as СССР-Л5426 (Cyrillic, commonly transcribed as CCCP-L5426 in English sources); its construction was finalized on 26 July 1957. After completion, the aircraft was assigned to Aeroflot's Far East branch. In 1959, it was re-registered under the number CCCP-42332 and remained in service with Aeroflot until 6 October 1961, when it was reassigned to the Soviet Navy.

Investigation

The accident inquiry determined that improper loading of the aircraft was permitted by the flight crew. Investigators uncovered indications that certain military personnel disregarded the seating arrangements designated by the crew and exerted pressure on them to proceed with a flight despite unsafe loading conditions. Witnesses also reported that large rolls of printing paper were onboard; these are believed to have shifted backwards during takeoff acceleration, causing the aircraft’s center of gravity to move beyond permissible aft limits. This shift compromised pitch stability, preventing the crew from lowering the nose and ultimately leading to the crash.

Casualties

File:166. Serafimovskoe cemetery.JPG

Memorial at Serafimovskoe Cemetery, St Petersburg, honoring those lost in the 1981 crash

The Tupolev Tu-104A carried numerous senior officers from the Pacific Fleet returning from Leningrad, where they had participated in naval command meetings, en route to Vladivostok via Khabarovsk. Among those killed were 16 admirals and generals, including Admiral Emil Spiridonov, commander of the Pacific Fleet, along with his spouse. They were buried alongside most other victims at Serafimovskoe Cemetery in Leningrad, where a memorial was commissioned by Navy commander-in-chief Sergey Gorshkov. Each year on 7 February, a memorial service takes place at the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in St Petersburg. On the crash’s twentieth anniversary, an inscription reading "Those who died in the line of duty on 7 February 1981" along with an Orthodox cross were added to the memorial stele honoring Pacific Navy sailors.

See also

• 1972 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash

External links

• YouTube overview of the incident: The Tu-104 Disaster at Pushkin – How the Soviet Navy Lost 16 Admirals in One Tragic Event