Aeroflot Flight 315 (1959)

Aeroflot

Industry	Airline
Founded	1923
Headquarters	Moscow , Soviet Union

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence Aeroflot Flight 315 was a scheduled passenger service operated by Aeroflot between Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow and Lviv Airport in Lviv, Ukraine. On 16 November 1959, the Antonov An-10 assigned to this route crashed short of the runway during its final approach phase. The accident resulted in the loss of all 40 individuals on board, comprising 32 passengers and 8 crew members.

The Air Accident Investigation Commission determined that the crash stemmed from a combination of aerodynamic icing and inherent design deficiencies.

Accident

Flight 315 took off from Vnukovo Airport at 16:48 Moscow time and was authorized to ascend to an altitude of 7,000 meters. Upon nearing Lviv, meteorological reports indicated a temperature of -1°C with humidity at 97%, visibility limited to three kilometers, and potential icing conditions. The descent proceeded as planned, with the pilot confirming passage over the outer marker at an altitude of 200 meters. Prior to reaching the inner marker, the aircraft emerged from cloud cover, prompting the crew to transition to visual flight rules (VFR). At approximately 19:06, while descending through an altitude of 110 meters, the flaps were extended fully to 45 degrees. Shortly thereafter, the Antonov experienced an abrupt nose-down pitch. Approximately 2,100 meters from the runway threshold and pitched down at an angle of about 25 degrees, the aircraft impacted terrain, overturned, and ignited. The crash and ensuing fire resulted in no survivors.

Aircraft

The involved An-10 bore serial number 9401402 and was manufactured at the Voronezh aircraft plant, with completion dated 5 June 1959. It had been integrated into the civil aviation fleet shortly thereafter. At the time of this incident, the airframe had accumulated a total flight time of 277 hours.

Investigation

Following a detailed review of evidence, investigators concluded that a malfunction within the engine power control system combined with poorly positioned cockpit controls may have contributed to the mishap. It was further hypothesized that pitot tube icing caused erroneous airspeed readings—specifically an overestimation—leading the pilot in command (PIC) to reduce engine power mistakenly.

On 26 February 1960, roughly three months post-accident, another An-10 operating under comparable weather conditions crashed. Subsequent testing revealed that ice accumulation on the horizontal stabilizer induced a supercritical angle of attack. This condition triggered an unexpected nose-down pitching moment when flaps were deployed to their maximum setting of 45 degrees. In response to these findings, enhancements were made to ice protection systems for the tailplane and operational procedures were revised to prohibit flap extension beyond 15 degrees during known icing environments.

See also

• Aeroflot incidents and accidents
• Aeroflot incidents and accidents during the 1950s