Aeroflot Flight Sh-4
| Industry | Aviation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1923 |
| Headquarters | Moscow , Soviet Union |
Area served | Soviet Union |
| Products | Air transport services |
Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence
On September 3, 1970, Aeroflot Flight Sh-4, a Yakovlev Yak-40, collided with Mount Airy-Tash located in the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. This accident marked the first fatal crash and total loss of a Yak-40 aircraft, resulting in the deaths of all 21 individuals onboard.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
Aircraft
The Yak-40 involved bore the registration CCCP-87690 (serial number MSN 9910503 - 03-05),[1] and was produced at the Saratov Aviation Plant on March 1, 1969. It was subsequently assigned to the USSR's Ministry of Civil Aviation, which transferred it on March 12 to the Dushanbe Aviation Unit under the Tajik Civil Aviation Directorate. The aircraft was designed to accommodate up to 24 passengers.Template:Fix/category[citation needed] At the time of the incident, it had logged a total of 1020 flight hours and completed 1344 cycles.[1]
Accident
Flight Sh-4 was operated by a crew from the 186th squadron aboard the Yak-40, comprising commander V. F. Sutormin as pilot-in-command, first officer G. V. Karpov, and flight engineer V. T. Shashkina.Template:Fix/category[citation needed] The flight carried 18 passengers when it departed from Frunze Airport at 20:24 and climbed to its assigned cruising altitude of 5,700 m (18,700 ft).[2]
Once past the Toktogul Dam, air traffic control instructed the crew to descend to an altitude of 5,700 meters (18,700 ft). After reaching this level, the aircraft veered approximately 30 to 50 kilometers northward. The pilots communicated with Kokand's dispatcher regarding their route over Namangan and Kokand towns. However, the controller neglected to monitor their position on radar and was unaware of their exact location but still authorized a further descent to 3,300 meters (10,800 ft). Following these orders, the crew descended into mountainous terrain where the surrounding elevation exceeded their altitude. Additionally, Kokand's dispatcher directed the captain to contact Leninabad Airport without notifying either Leninabad's controller or the flight crew; no radar contact existed in that sector.[2]
Unaware that they had strayed westward off course, the pilots reported passing over Namangan and Kokand to air traffic control. At 21:21, Leninabad ATC cleared them for descent first to 3,300 m (10,800 ft) and subsequently to 2,100 m (6,900 ft), despite lacking precise knowledge of their positionTemplate:Fix/category[citation needed].
At approximately 21:26, while flying at an altitude of 2100 meters at around 500 km/h (310 mph), Flight Sh-4 collided with Mount Airy-Tash’s slope roughly 90 km from Leninabad (now Khujand) at an elevation near 2,300 meters (7,500 ft). The impact destroyed the aircraft instantly and resulted in fatalities for all 21 occupants.[2]