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Aeroflot Flight 343

Aeroflot Flight 343
CCCP-86470, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed 8 months prior.
Accident
Date29 September 1982 (1982-09-29)
SummaryMechanical failure resulting in a runway excursion
SiteLuxembourg Findel Airport
Aircraft
Aircraft typeIlyushin Il-62M
OperatorAeroflot
IATA flight No.SU343
ICAO flight No.AFL343
Call signAEROFLOT 343
RegistrationCCCP-86470
Flight originSheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow
1st stopoverLuxembourg Findel Airport
2nd stopoverJosé Martí International Airport
DestinationJorge Chávez International Airport
Occupants77
Passengers66
Crew11
Fatalities7
Injuries70
Survivors70

Aeroflot Flight 343 (Russian: Рейс 343 Аэрофлота Reys 343 Aeroflota) was a passenger flight from Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport to Jorge Chávez International Airport, on a stopover at Luxembourg-Findel International Airport, that veered off the runway on 29 September 1982, fatally injuring seven occupants. The Ilyushin Il-62M operating the flight suffered a mechanical failure.[1][2]

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft involved in the accident was an Ilyushin Il-62M operated by Aeroflot, registered CCCP-86470. The aircraft rolled off the assembly line of the Kazan production facility in April 1977. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had 10,325 flight hours.[3]

The crew members consisted of 6 pilots and 5 flight attendants:[1]

The captain, aged 47, had a total of 9,487 flight hours including 3,168 hours on the Ilyushin Il-62M; the first officer, aged 55, had a total of 10,441 flight hours including 3,605 hours on the Il-62M; the flight engineer, aged 46, had a total of 7,565 flight hours including 2,893 hours on the Il-62M; the radio operator, aged 34, had a total of 1,282 flight hours, all of which were on the Il-62M; the navigator, aged 46, had a total of 8,527 flight hours, including 2,698 hours on the Il-62M; and an extra pilot, a 58-year-old flight instructor, had 8,701 total flight hours, with 4,102 hours on the Il-62M.[1]

Accident description

With 66 passengers on-board, the flight was intended for the Moscow-Luxembourg-Havana-Lima route but crashed on the first stopover in Luxembourg. The aircraft started experiencing technical difficulties on approach to landing. At an altitude of just 5 m (16 ft) above the runway and a speed of 278 km/h (173 mph; 150 kn), with the engines set at 40% Nh, the thrust reversers on engines No. 1 and 4 were released; immediately thereafter the Il-62 suddenly began to pivot to the right. Five seconds later at a speed of 265 km/h (165 mph; 143 kn), the crew increased power on engine No. 4 to 80% Nh and engine No. 1 – to 86% Nh, intending to re-align the aircraft with the runway. Instead, the deviation to the right only increased. Instead of stopping on the runway, the aircraft wing hit a water tower, then continued on, striking a small airport fence before it rolled into a small forest, damaged several trees, then fell into a small ravine 200 meters from the runway at 20:23 local time.[4]

Causes

The investigation determined the probable cause of the accident to be mechanical failure of the thrust reversers on engine No.1:[1]

"The accident may be attributed to a mechanical failure affecting the mechanism of controlling thrust which occurred during the most critical phase of landing. This failure, sudden and unpredictable, was identified by the crew and made the aircraft uncontrollable in direction during the execution of the normal landing procedure."[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "RAPPORT D'ENQUETE ETABLI SUITE A L'ACCIDENT SURVENU A L'AEROPORT DE LUXEMBOURG LE 29 SEPTEMBRE 1982 A L'AVION ILYUSHIN-62M IMMATRICULE CCCP-86470" [INVESTIGATION REPORT FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT AT LUXEMBOURG AIRPORT ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1982, INVOLVING THE ILYUSHIN-62M AIRCRAFT REGISTERED CCCP-86470] (PDF). aet.gouvernement.lu (in French). Luxembourg's Aeronautical Administration. 1983-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  2. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin 62M CCCP-86470 Luxembourg-Findel Airport (LUX)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  3. ^ "Ильюшин Ил-62М Бортовой №: СССР-86470". russianplanes.net. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  4. ^ a b "Катастрофа Ил-62М ЦУМВС в а/п Люксембург-Финдель". www.airdisaster.ru. Retrieved 2017-04-05.

49°37′24″N 006°12′16″E / 49.62333°N 6.20444°E / 49.62333; 6.20444