Aeroflot Flight 012

Aeroflot Flight 012 was an international passenger service operating from Beijing, China, bound for Moscow, Soviet Union, which crashed during its scheduled stopover landing at Irkutsk on Saturday, July 13, 1963. The accident resulted in the loss of 33 out of the 35 individuals aboard.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in this incident was a Tupolev Tu-104B bearing the registration CCCP-42492.

Synopsis

Departing Beijing at approximately 2:49 am Moscow time, the flight climbed to an altitude of 9,000 meters en route to Irkutsk. Due to low cloud coverage enveloping Irkutsk airport, the flight crew encountered conflicting reports regarding the cloud ceiling's altitude. This led to an early descent. When the aircraft emerged from the clouds at less than 60 meters above ground level, the pilots attempted evasive maneuvers but were unsuccessful, causing the plane to collide with terrain about two miles short of the runway near 10 am local time.

Casualties

Out of 35 people on board, 33 perished, including all eight crew members and twenty-five passengers. Two passengers survived the crash. Among those killed were seven Albanians—including poet and writer Drago Siliqi—five Czechoslovakians, three Chinese nationals, and three Colombians. The remains of the Albanian and Chinese victims were transported to Beijing for a prominent public funeral attended by Premier Zhou Enlai. In contrast, a U.S.-based aviation publication observed that the Soviet media gave minimal coverage to the tragedy.