Uzbekistan Airways Flight 1154

Uzbekistan Airways

Company type	National airline
Industry	Aviation
Headquarters	Tashkent , Uzbekistan
Products	Passenger air transport

Template:Infobox Aircraft occurrence

Uzbekistan Airways Flight 1154 (HY1154/UZB1154) was a domestic passenger service operated by Uzbekistan’s national airline, flying from Termez Airport near the Afghan border to the capital city’s Tashkent International Airport. On 13 January 2004, the Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft bearing registration UK-87985 crashed during its landing phase at Tashkent. The plane struck a radar installation, overturned, ignited, and detonated, resulting in the loss of all 37 individuals onboard. Weather conditions at the time were reportedly below optimal for flight operations.

Flight

Template:More sources The aircraft involved, a Yakovlev Yak-40 registered as UK-87985 in Uzbekistan, was operating a domestic route from Termez—a city located close to Afghanistan’s border—to Tashkent International Airport. Since the onset of the War on Terror in 2001, Termez had become a critical logistics hub for humanitarian aid into northern Afghanistan. Additionally, German military forces utilized Termez Airport to support peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan. The flight was nearly at full capacity, transporting 32 passengers alongside a crew of five. The cockpit team comprised Captain Alexander Alexanov, First Officer Rustam Ilyasov, Flight Instructor Akmal Kamalov, and Flight Engineer Noel Kurmaev.

Air traffic control at Tashkent cleared the flight for landing around 1900 local time. The environment was fully darkened and visibility had worsened considerably due to dense fog enveloping the airport, reducing ground visibility to approximately 1300 meters. Approximately 12.5 kilometers from Tashkent airport, Flight 1154 increased its descent rate and descended below the prescribed glideslope for instrument landing. Subsequently, the crew maintained level flight until closer proximity to the airport was reached. Upon nearing the runway threshold, the aircraft remained at an altitude of about 30 to 40 meters above ground level—significantly higher than the expected height of less than half that and without being properly configured for landing. Recognizing insufficient runway remaining, the pilots attempted to apply full throttle to abort the landing and climb out; however, this maneuver came too late. The right wing collided with either a radio beacon or an approach light support structure, which severed the wing before the left wing struck a concrete barrier. This caused the aircraft to overturn and explode on impact. Emergency responders arrived promptly but found no survivors at the crash scene.

Responses

Following the accident, Uzbek authorities promptly cordoned off the crash location. President Islam Karimov personally visited the site and engaged with the emergency response teams. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev along with his staff arrived at Tashkent airport, where they met with the victims' families and escorted them to a designated area.

Several hours post-incident, Tashkent International Airport was shut down due to dense fog conditions.

Investigation

A comprehensive inquiry into the crash was commissioned by the government. Initial findings pointed to adverse weather as the likely cause of the disaster. Officials confirmed that no indications of intentional wrongdoing were detected.

However, in his 2006 publication, Murder in Samarkand, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray claimed that Uzbek authorities had interfered with both the crash site and the victims’ remains, asserting that "a legitimate investigation was never pursued." In 2008, ex-Uzbek intelligence officer Ikrom Yakubov accused the nation's leadership of orchestrating the plane crash, supporting long-standing allegations made by activists and critics. Yakubov later appeared on BBC's Newsnight in August 2009 to discuss these claims.

Regarding the Conroy case, Ambassador Murray was quoted by Radio Free Europe in 2008 stating: "These allegations are not baseless. The emerging evidence strengthens what was already suspected and partially substantiated."

See also

• TAM Airlines Flight 3054
• S7 Airlines Flight 778

External links

• Accident profile (English interface with Russian content) and Profile available in Russian, hosted by the Interstate Aviation Committee Template:Inlang - Archived Russian webpage with detailed report
• Image depicting the damaged radar facility, Getty Images
• Detailed accident summary, Aviation Safety Network