Aeroflot Flight 1668
| Industry | Airline |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1923 |
| Headquarters | Soviet Union |
Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence
Aeroflot Flight 1668 was operating a scheduled route from Yakutsk to Novosibirsk, including stops at Olekminsk, Lensk, Ust-Kut, and Krasnoyarsk, when it crashed shortly after departing Olekminsk on January 6, 1968. All 45 individuals aboard lost their lives. The investigation that followed did not establish a definitive cause for the crash.
Accident
The flight took off from Olyokminsk at 18:10 local time, heading toward Lensk under favorable weather conditions. Ten minutes afterward, the crew reported their altitude as 4,500 meters to air traffic control (ATC). At 18:24, the flight requested a position update; ATC confirmed radar detection of the plane approximately 75 kilometers from Olyokminsk on a course of 271 degrees. Radar contact was lost at 18:28, and subsequent radio attempts to reach the crew failed. Over three hours later, an Antonov An-2 crew flying west of Olekminsk spotted multiple ground fires. Helicopters dispatched to the area located the crash site. Search teams arrived at the wreckage by 16:00 the following day, confirming there were no survivors.
Aircraft
The Antonov An-24B involved bore serial number 69901001 and was manufactured at the Antonov plant, with production completed on November 27, 1966. At the time of the accident, this aircraft had accumulated 1,543 flight hours and completed 1,083 takeoff and landing cycles.
Aftermath
Members of the search and rescue unit documented their firsthand experiences at the crash location, which spanned roughly 715 meters in diameter: Template:Quotation
Investigation
The State Supervisory Commission for Flight Safety conducted a thorough inquiry into the incident. Early in the process, investigators ruled out issues related to crew proficiency, aircraft preflight checks, and air traffic control procedures. The commission analyzed air traffic control data, including radar tracking and recorded radio communications, to uncover the cause. Approximately two minutes before the aircraft vanished from radar screens, an audible signal resembling a transmitter being activated was detected; however, the origin of this sound was never identified. Findings revealed that the airplane abruptly entered a steep dive, leading to structural failure where both wings and the empennage detached from the fuselage due to extreme aerodynamic stress. At around 18:27, the plane was positioned with an 80-degree nose-down angle, heading west at 270 degrees with a left bank. It collided with treetops before crashing forcefully into the ground, resulting in total destruction from impact and subsequent fire.[1]
Although investigators could not pinpoint a definitive cause for the crash, hypotheses included the detachment of an aircraft component that damaged the tail section or a malfunction within the aircraft flight control system. Another speculation proposed that a surface-to-air missile might have caused the downing; nevertheless, no evidence ever substantiated this claim.[1]
See also
References
Template:Aeroflot Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1968 Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union in the 1960s