1992 Tbilisi Tupolev Tu-154 crash
Template:Infobox aircraft accident
Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence
On 20 July 1992, a cargo Tupolev Tu-154B crashed while attempting to take off from Tbilisi-Novo Alexeyevka Airport in Georgia. The plane failed to lift off and collided with a nearby residential neighborhood, resulting in the deaths of all 24 individuals on board and an additional four people on the ground. The subsequent investigation determined that improper and partially undocumented cargo loading led to the aircraft being overloaded.
Aircraft
The Tupolev Tu-154B involved was built in 1977 and bore the tail number CCCP-85222, initially serving Aeroflot's International division. It was equipped with three Kuznetsov NK-8-2U turbofan engines.[1] On 16 October 1979, it was reassigned to Aeroflot's Georgian division. Notably, during the 1980 Summer Olympics, it displayed the Official Olympic Carrier paint scheme.[2]
Flight
The flight, operated by either Transair Georgia or Tbilisi Aviation Enterprise, was a cargo route from Tbilisi in Georgia to Mineralnye Vody in Russia,[3][1] transporting tea.[4] The aircraft carried eight crew members and sixteen passengers; however, none of the passengers held tickets or had official authorization to be aboard.[3]
During takeoff on runway 31L, the nose gear lifted at the critical V1 speed, but the main landing gear did not leave the ground. The nose only attained an angle between six and seven degrees. The plane veered off the runway and continued for approximately 490 m (1,610 ft) before crashing into a localizer antenna. This impact caused the aircraft to overturn. After moving an additional 190 m (620 ft), it struck residential houses in Alekseevka village and ignited. All occupants perished along with four residents on the ground; Georgian press reports suggested ground fatalities could have reached up to thirty.[5] Additionally, ten individuals on the ground sustained injuries.[3]
Investigation
Authorities initially suspected that the crash resulted from the aircraft being overloaded, as it was unable to become airborne. The inquiry uncovered that both the flight crew and the personnel at the cargo warehouse breached loading regulations. The plane was carrying twenty tons of cargo, surpassing the permitted weight limit. Additionally, cargo was loaded incorrectly, and not all items were documented; official flight records indicated only 6.4 tons. The distribution of cargo also failed to comply with the Tu-154B's weight and balance requirements. An extra three tons were added without the crew’s awareness, causing the aircraft to be overloaded by two tons and shifting its center of gravity.
Previously, airport transport management and the cargo warehouse operated as a single company before splitting into separate organizations. Despite this division, airport management did not supervise cargo flights, although no formal change had been made to this arrangement. Consequently, loading and balance controllers at the airport stopped overseeing cargo flights, while the warehouse company (Lasare) lacked personnel qualified to perform these duties. This led to cargo loading being conducted without proper supervision.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ↑ "Tu-154B c/n 77A222". Soviet Transport Database. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Crash of a Tupolev TU-154B in Tbilisi: 28 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ↑ "Cargo plane crashes on takeoff in Georgia". United Press International. 20 July 1992. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ↑ "Cargo plane crash kills 43 in Georgia". United Press International. 21 July 1992. Retrieved 11 May 2024.