Aeroflot Flight B-608
| Industry | Aviation |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Moscow , Soviet Union |
| Products | Air transport services |
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Aeroflot Flight B-608 was a scheduled service operating between Irkutsk and Bratsk. The flight ended tragically when the aircraft encountered a microburst, causing a sudden nose-down descent and subsequent crash near Bratsk Airport, resulting in the loss of all 18 individuals aboard the Yakovlev Yak-40.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Yak-40 bearing tail number 87778 (manufacturer serial number 9040314, production serial number 14-03). It was manufactured by the Saratov Aviation Plant on October 30, 1970. Following production, it was handed over to the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the USSR, which assigned it to the Bratsk Aviation Department under the East Siberian Civil Aviation Directorate on December 30 of the same year. The cabin configuration accommodated up to 24 passengers. At the time of the accident, this aircraft had accumulated 1,667 flight hours and completed 2,249 landings.[1]
Accident
Flight V-608 was operated by a crew from the 245th flight squadron. The team included commander Ivan Andreevich Ivanov as pilot-in-command, co-pilot Valery Ivanovich Bulanov, flight engineer Oleg Vasilyevich Stolyarov, and trainee flight engineer Valery Ivanovich Nosarev. Departure from Irkutsk Airport occurred at 22:29. After ascent, the aircraft maintained cruising altitude at 6,000 meters with fourteen passengers onboard.[1]
As the flight neared Bratsk, communication with the airport dispatcher was established. Upon receiving clearance, descent procedures commenced. The dispatcher attempted multiple times to obtain updated weather observations from the AMS observer but received no reply. Consequently, weather information from 23:15 was relayed: runway visibility extending to 50 kilometers without precipitation reported. However, conditions were rapidly worsening; the dispatcher personally noted deteriorating weather marked by a wet snowstorm accompanied by winds between 10 and 14 meters per second and visibility reduced to approximately 1,000 meters—below the minimum required for landing set for the commander.[1]
Unaware of these adverse changes, the flight crew proceeded with final approach alignment but suddenly encountered severe snowstorm conditions. The Yak-40 experienced a pronounced downdraft that caused an abrupt descent and loss of airspeed. The aircraft struck treetops before continuing another 225 meters and ultimately crashing at 23:34 hours. The impact site lay roughly 1,250 meters short of the runway threshold. Tragically, all eighteen people aboard perished.[1]
Causes
The aircraft experienced a rapid descent from a low altitude due to a powerful downdraft, followed by an impact with tree tops while attempting to recover in nighttime conditions with poor visibility. This sudden encounter with severe weather phenomena was triggered by a swift decline in meteorological conditions combined with delays in detecting and communicating this critical information.
An additional element that may have influenced the incident was the possible accidental engagement of the thrust reverser by the flight crew during the descent, as the thrust reverser was discovered activated during the post-crash examination of the plane.
References
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