Aeroflot Flight 245
| Industry | Airline |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 17, 1923 |
| Headquarters | Moscow , Soviet Union |
| Products | Air transport services |
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Aeroflot Flight 245 was a domestic passenger service flown by an Ilyushin Il-18B that crashed during the cruise segment en route to Sochi on December 17, 1961. The tragedy resulted in the loss of all 59 individuals aboard. Investigations determined that the aircraft entered a steep dive after the flaps were unintentionally deployed.
Accident
Flight 245 operated as a scheduled route from Vnukovo International Airport to Sochi. The Il-18 took off from Vnukovo at 14:34 Moscow time, ascending to its cruising altitude of approximately 8,000 m (26,000 ft). At 15:47, the crew reported their position to Air traffic control (ATC), followed by another communication at 15:52. By 15:59, attempts by controllers to contact Flight 245 failed, and the aircraft vanished from radar screens. While maintaining level flight at a speed of 630 km/h, the flight engineer accidentally moved the flap control to full extension at 40 degrees. The resulting drag combined with the unique aerodynamic characteristics of the Il-18 caused the plane to pitch forward sharply and enter a rapid descent. The crew was unable to retract the flaps due to intense negative g-force forces impairing their ability to reach the control. As velocity increased during the dive, aerodynamic forces tore off both port and starboard flap assemblies. The aircraft ultimately struck the ground at high speed with landing gear retracted and a pitch angle of approximately 107 degrees at 16:00. The impact crater measured between 3.5 and 5 meters deep, while debris was scattered across an area roughly 300 to 350 meters wide.
Aircraft
The airplane involved was an Ilyushin Il-18B bearing serial number 188000503 and registered as CCCP-75654 under Aeroflot’s fleet. Manufactured on October 30, 1958, this airliner had accumulated a total flight time of 2,722 hours prior to the accident.
Investigation
The inquiry concluded that the accident resulted from the activation of full flaps while the aircraft was at cruising velocity. Unlike the Ilyushin Il-14, the Il-18 lacked a safeguard to prevent unintended movement of the flap control, which was identified as a contributing element in the chain of events leading to the incident.
See also
References
Template:Aeroflot Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1961 Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union in the 1960s