Aeroflot Flight 558
| Company type | Domestic passenger flight |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | 31 August 1972 (date of crash) |
| Headquarters | Karaganda (departure city) , Soviet Union |
Area served | Domestic service (Karaganda to Moscow) |
| Products | Passenger air transport |
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Template:Infobox Aircraft accident
Aeroflot Flight 558 (Russian: Рейс 558 Аэрофлота Reys 558 Aeroflota) was a routine domestic passenger service operated by an Ilyushin Il-18V from Karaganda to Moscow. On 31 August 1972, the aircraft crashed into a field located in the Abzelilovsky District due to an onboard fire triggered by exploding baggage, resulting in the loss of all 102 individuals aboard.
Aircraft
The plane involved was an Ilyushin Il-18V bearing registration CCCP-74298, assigned to Aeroflot’s Kazakhstan branch. Initially completed and delivered to Air Mali in 1962, it was transferred to Aeroflot in 1971. At the time of the incident, the aircraft had accumulated a total of 10,798 flight hours and undergone 4,249 pressurization cycles.[1]
Crew
Onboard were nine crew members. The flight deck team included:[2]
- Captain Vladimir Ishutin
- First Officer Vyacheslav Tichotsky
- Navigator Alexander Dubolazov
- Flight Engineer Yevgeny Prokopov
- Radio Operator Nikolai Laptyaev
Additionally, Anatoly Kuzovlev from the Ministry of Interior was supervising the flight.
Incident
Flight 558 departed Sary-Arka Airport at 09:57 Moscow time and began ascending toward a cruising altitude of 7,200 meters. The crew anticipated passing over Magnitogorsk around 10:11. However, at approximately 10:08:20 and about 45 kilometers from Magnitogorsk, smoke was detected inside the cabin and reported by the crew. Air traffic control authorized a descent to 4,800 meters and directed communication to Magnitogorsk ATC. The pilots informed controllers of a fire located in the second cargo hold and requested emergency landing procedures.
At around 10:12:32, roughly 20 to 30 kilometers from Magnitogorsk International Airport, with altitude between 2,400 and 2,700 meters, Flight 558 initiated a turn changing its heading from 295° to an initial bearing of 185°, beginning a sequence of maneuvers. After completing the first turn reaching a heading of 90° at about 600 meters altitude, air traffic control instructed them to turn toward a heading of 135°, which was acknowledged and followed. When instructed subsequently to adjust course to a heading of 185°, the crew confirmed receipt but did not carry out this directive.
At 10:15:32, air traffic control notified the pilots that their flight path was deviating away from the airport; the only response received was that "The smoke in the cockpit is very bad." By 10:15:50, the aircraft was dangerously close to terrain. The pilots attempted corrective action by pulling back on the controls, setting engines to takeoff power, and retracting landing gear simultaneously. However, these abrupt maneuvers combined with passengers moving forward inside the cabin to escape smoke unexpectedly reduced climb performance.[2]
At 10:16:19, radio communication consisted solely of "Goodbye," with no reply to further controller instructions regarding approach for landing. The Il-18 ultimately crashed into an open field located approximately 23 kilometers from Magnitogorsk airport before any emergency landing could be executed.[2]
Investigation
The inquiry revealed that all passengers located in the cabin succumbed to smoke inhalation prior to the aircraft's impact. In contrast, the captain, copilot, and navigator, who were situated in the cockpit, died as a direct result of the crash itself.
Cause
Four undamaged explosive devices were recovered from the wreckage. The investigation concluded that the fire in the Ilyushin Il-18's cargo hold originated from explosives concealed within passenger luggage, which were prohibited items for air transport. These explosive substances ignited other highly flammable baggage contents. Although no previous incidents of mechanical failures causing fires in the Il-18's second baggage compartment were recorded, there had been four instances between 1970 and 1972 where passenger baggage spontaneously caught fire. The official report summarized: The accident was triggered by a rapidly spreading fire in the second luggage compartment, leading to a total or partial incapacitation of the crew; this resulted in an inability to maintain visual flight or monitor instruments due to smoke infiltration into the cockpit, ultimately preventing a successful flight outcome.
Aftermath
Following the tragedy, modifications were implemented on the Ilyushin Il-18 design to permit cabin occupants access to the second baggage compartment if necessary. No commemorative monument was established to honor those lost in the crash.