Aeroflot Flight 315 (1960)
| Industry | Aviation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1923 |
| Headquarters | Moscow , Soviet Union |
| Products | Passenger air transport |
Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence
Aeroflot Flight 315 was a scheduled passenger service operated by Aeroflot, flying from Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow to Lviv Airport in Lviv, Ukraine, both locations within the Soviet Union at that time. On February 26, 1960, the An-10A aircraft assigned to this route crashed short of the runway during its final approach. The accident resulted in the deaths of 24 passengers and all eight crew members, with a single passenger surviving.
The Air Accident Investigation Commission determined that the crash was caused by a combination of tail section icing and an inherent design deficiency.
Accident
Flight 315 took off from Vnukovo Airport at 14:38 Moscow time and received clearance to ascend to an altitude of 7,000 meters. By 16:35, as it neared Lviv, air traffic control authorized a descent to 4,000 meters. Weather conditions included a cloud base between 150 and 200 meters with icing present and visibility of approximately three kilometers. The descent proceeded normally, and the pilot reported passing the marker beacon at 200 meters altitude before obtaining landing clearance. Upon entering the cloud base, the crew transitioned to visual flight rules (VFR). During descent at about 95 meters altitude, the flaps were extended to 45 degrees causing the Antonov to suddenly pitch downward sharply. Although control was momentarily regained, the nose pitched down again, and at 16:57 the aircraft struck the ground roughly 1,400 meters short of the runway with a nose-down angle between 20 and 25 degrees.
Aircraft
The Antonov An-10 involved bore serial number 9401801-18-01 and was assembled at the Voronezh aircraft manufacturing plant on January 24, 1960 before being handed over to civil aviation operations. At the time of the incident, this airplane had accumulated a total flight time of 109 hours.
Investigation
Given that the aircraft had only been operational for six days following its delivery from the manufacturer, the Air Accident Investigation Commission concluded that mechanical malfunction was an improbable cause of the crash. Investigators revisited data collected from the inquiry into Flight 315, which occurred on 16 November 1959, three months prior. Further analysis and testing identified that icing on the horizontal stabilizer generated a supercritical angle of attack, resulting in an abrupt nose-down movement when the flaps were extended to their maximum angle of 45 degrees. The speed at which the flaps were lowered also played a role; deploying 35 degrees within eight seconds was considered excessively rapid. To mitigate this risk, enhancements were made to the ice protection systems for the stabilizer, and operating flaps beyond 15 degrees in conditions conducive to icing was prohibited.
See also
References
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