Aeroflot Flight 3352
Encyclopedia
Aeroflot Flight 3352 was a Tupolev Tu-154
airline
flight on a domestic route from Krasnodar
to Novosibirsk
, with an intermediate landing in Omsk
, in the USSR. While landing at Omsk Airport
on 11 October 1984, the aircraft crashed into maintenance vehicles on the runway, killing 174 people on board and 4 on the ground. While a chain of mistakes in airport operations contributed to the accident, its major cause was a ground controller falling asleep on duty. As of , this remains the deadliest airplane crash on Russia
n territory.
, a key Russian city in southwestern Siberia
, which has a population of over 1 million and is the administrative center of Omsk Oblast
. At the time, this was the only aircraft approaching Omsk, and was cleared for landing when it contacted the airport.
At 5:20 am, worried that the continuing rain would make the runway overly slippery, the airport ground maintenance crew requested permission to dry the runway. The ground controller on duty gave permission and proceeded to fall asleep soon after, in the process forgetting to switch on the "runway occupied" warning. In any case, under airport regulations, this whole procedure should never have happened; permission to close and do maintenance on a runway could only be given by the chief controller, and he was absent.
The maintenance crew, following the airport's routine, moved three vehicles to the runway: a UAZ-469
all-terrain vehicle
with an attached trailer
, operated by a driver and crew manager in front; followed by KrAZ
and Ural
trucks. The latter were equipped with dry air compressors and loaded with fuel, and weighed 16–20 tons. The drying detail then proceeded to violate their own safety rules while performing their tasks: all of their vehicles should have their top, flickering lights on continuously. However, the lights were too bright for the maintenance workers' liking, so they kept them lit only until they started and after they finished their work.
This intentional oversight was to play a part in the pilots being unable to see the vehicles on the runway (they could not from the air). In contrast, the runway crew saw the Tupolev-154 coming at them from a good distance, its landing lights on. They did attempt to contact ground control three times about the lights, but received no response and so ignored them, thinking they were being tested by a plane not on final approach.
Around 5:36 am, Flight 3352 requested permission to land from the approach controller. The request was sent twice; the pilots noticed vague contours on the runway and wanted to double check for obstacles. The controller verified the runway status, which remained apparently unoccupied, then contacted the ground controller and received no response, and subsequently contacted the flight controller on internal radio and received an inaudible reply that sounded like "..ree" (original) and was taken as "free" . The approach controller cleared the landing, though unable to see the runway, and in spite of regulations that required him to keep the flight in the air and double check the runway's status. Both the ground controller and secondary controller should have been able to see the runway, but the former was asleep, and the latter was absent due to staff shortages.
At 5:38 am, the flight passed the lowest height at which the flight crew could abort the landing
. The aircraft landed at a normal 240 km/h (149 mph/130 knots). On touchdown, the flight crew saw the array of drying vehicles and attempted to turn the aircraft, but were unable to avoid the collision. The plane crashed into the Ural truck and then 200 m down the runway crashed into the KrAZ, igniting the 7 tons of fuel in each truck and the aircraft's fuel tank. The plane overturned and broke into pieces, some of which crashed into the UAZ-469. A catastrophic fracture of the fuel tanks caused burning fuel to leak into the fuselage
, incinerating all but one passenger. The cockpit section detached and flew past the burning vehicles. It suffered no major damage, and all four crew members survived, suffering only minor injuries. They escaped from the cabin and ran to the crash site in an attempt to help the passengers. Four ground maintenance crew were killed instantly inside the vehicles. One survivor in the passenger seat of the UAZ caught on fire, which was extinguished.
No pilot error or aircraft deficiency was found. Flight mass and centering were within norms. Owing to poor visibility, the crew could not detect the obstructions on the runway. While they did have some reasonable doubts as to whether or not the runway was occupied, these were allayed by the approach controller's reassurances. The crew had only a few seconds to avoid the collision on the ground; they took evasive action, but could not possibly save the aircraft. They were thus absolved of any blame.
The flight controller and approach controller were experienced professionals with at least 10 years of service. The ground controller on duty, who was 23 years old, was new. He supposedly had not gotten enough sleep in the days before the accident, having had to care for his two young children.
The formal hearing of the case occurred only 3 months after the accident, due to the obvious set of circumstances; most of that time was spent on identifying the victims and locating their relatives. All of the accused, as well as their attorneys, received threats and were moved to the hearings under heavy security.
B-1 was operated by Aeroflot (later becoming East Siberia). It was equipped with three Kuznetsov NK-8-2U
engines, and first flew in 1977.
The flight carried 170 passengers, including 8 teenagers and 16 young children; 2700 kg of luggage, 306 kg of post, and 1600 kg of cargo.
The flight had a crew of 9. The captain was highly experiences, with 16,365 hours in the air (including 4303 hours of night flights).
The flight was approaching Omsk in poor weather: light rain, visibility 2 miles with a 300 foot ceiling.
The flight was the deadliest in Soviet aviation history. On 10 July 1985, it was surpassed by Aeroflot Flight 7425
, another Tu-154, which crashed in Uzbekistan
. That accident killed 200 people.
Tupolev Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
flight on a domestic route from Krasnodar
Krasnodar
Krasnodar is a city in Southern Russia, located on the Kuban River about northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai . Population: -Name:...
to Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
, with an intermediate landing in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
, in the USSR. While landing at Omsk Airport
Tsentralny Airport
-New Fedorova airport:A new airport is built at Fedorova, North-West of Omsk. As of 2010, construction is stalled.-External links:*...
on 11 October 1984, the aircraft crashed into maintenance vehicles on the runway, killing 174 people on board and 4 on the ground. While a chain of mistakes in airport operations contributed to the accident, its major cause was a ground controller falling asleep on duty. As of , this remains the deadliest airplane crash on Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n territory.
The accident
At 5:00 am local time (UTC/GMT + 7 hours), Flight 3352 was preparing to land at Tsentralny Airport in OmskOmsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
, a key Russian city in southwestern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, which has a population of over 1 million and is the administrative center of Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of and a population of with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center....
. At the time, this was the only aircraft approaching Omsk, and was cleared for landing when it contacted the airport.
At 5:20 am, worried that the continuing rain would make the runway overly slippery, the airport ground maintenance crew requested permission to dry the runway. The ground controller on duty gave permission and proceeded to fall asleep soon after, in the process forgetting to switch on the "runway occupied" warning. In any case, under airport regulations, this whole procedure should never have happened; permission to close and do maintenance on a runway could only be given by the chief controller, and he was absent.
The maintenance crew, following the airport's routine, moved three vehicles to the runway: a UAZ-469
UAZ-469
The UAZ-469 is an all-terrain vehicle manufactured by UAZ. It was used by the Red Army and other Warsaw Pact forces, as well as paramilitary units in Eastern Bloc countries. In the Soviet Union, it also saw widespread service in all state organizations that needed a robust off-road vehicle.The...
all-terrain vehicle
All-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
with an attached trailer
Trailer (vehicle)
A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....
, operated by a driver and crew manager in front; followed by KrAZ
KrAZ
KrAZ is a factory that produces trucks and other special-purpose vehicles in Kremenchuk, Ukraine; particularly heavy-duty off-road models...
and Ural
Ural Automotive Plant
The Ural Automotive Plant is a major manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks in Russia. It was established in 1941, when the ZiS factory was evacuated from Moscow during the World War II, and is now part of the GAZ group.-External links:* on GAZ website...
trucks. The latter were equipped with dry air compressors and loaded with fuel, and weighed 16–20 tons. The drying detail then proceeded to violate their own safety rules while performing their tasks: all of their vehicles should have their top, flickering lights on continuously. However, the lights were too bright for the maintenance workers' liking, so they kept them lit only until they started and after they finished their work.
This intentional oversight was to play a part in the pilots being unable to see the vehicles on the runway (they could not from the air). In contrast, the runway crew saw the Tupolev-154 coming at them from a good distance, its landing lights on. They did attempt to contact ground control three times about the lights, but received no response and so ignored them, thinking they were being tested by a plane not on final approach.
Around 5:36 am, Flight 3352 requested permission to land from the approach controller. The request was sent twice; the pilots noticed vague contours on the runway and wanted to double check for obstacles. The controller verified the runway status, which remained apparently unoccupied, then contacted the ground controller and received no response, and subsequently contacted the flight controller on internal radio and received an inaudible reply that sounded like "..ree" (original) and was taken as "free" . The approach controller cleared the landing, though unable to see the runway, and in spite of regulations that required him to keep the flight in the air and double check the runway's status. Both the ground controller and secondary controller should have been able to see the runway, but the former was asleep, and the latter was absent due to staff shortages.
At 5:38 am, the flight passed the lowest height at which the flight crew could abort the landing
Point of no return
The point of no return is the point beyond which one must continue on his or her current course of action because turning back is physically impossible, prohibitively expensive or dangerous. It is also used when the distance or effort required to get back would be greater than the remainder of the...
. The aircraft landed at a normal 240 km/h (149 mph/130 knots). On touchdown, the flight crew saw the array of drying vehicles and attempted to turn the aircraft, but were unable to avoid the collision. The plane crashed into the Ural truck and then 200 m down the runway crashed into the KrAZ, igniting the 7 tons of fuel in each truck and the aircraft's fuel tank. The plane overturned and broke into pieces, some of which crashed into the UAZ-469. A catastrophic fracture of the fuel tanks caused burning fuel to leak into the fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
, incinerating all but one passenger. The cockpit section detached and flew past the burning vehicles. It suffered no major damage, and all four crew members survived, suffering only minor injuries. They escaped from the cabin and ran to the crash site in an attempt to help the passengers. Four ground maintenance crew were killed instantly inside the vehicles. One survivor in the passenger seat of the UAZ caught on fire, which was extinguished.
Investigation
A State investigation concluded that the accident was caused by a chain of mistakes owing to the negligence of air traffic controllers, as well as disobedience of basic airport maintenance and safety regulations. The ground controller was found directly responsible, as he fell asleep on the job and thus did not respond to emergency queries; he also allowed the service trucks to move onto the runway and did not mark the runway as occupied. At a hearing, he could not recollect his actions during the time in question, but did not deny the charges. He was sentenced to 15 years and committed suicide in prison. In addition, the flight operations manager was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the approach controller to 13 years, and the head of airport maintenance to 12 years. All three appealed their sentences, to no avail. Future inspections at numerous other Soviet airports also found similar types and numbers of violations of safety regulations, resulting in the firing of several high-level officials thereat.No pilot error or aircraft deficiency was found. Flight mass and centering were within norms. Owing to poor visibility, the crew could not detect the obstructions on the runway. While they did have some reasonable doubts as to whether or not the runway was occupied, these were allayed by the approach controller's reassurances. The crew had only a few seconds to avoid the collision on the ground; they took evasive action, but could not possibly save the aircraft. They were thus absolved of any blame.
The flight controller and approach controller were experienced professionals with at least 10 years of service. The ground controller on duty, who was 23 years old, was new. He supposedly had not gotten enough sleep in the days before the accident, having had to care for his two young children.
The formal hearing of the case occurred only 3 months after the accident, due to the obvious set of circumstances; most of that time was spent on identifying the victims and locating their relatives. All of the accused, as well as their attorneys, received threats and were moved to the hearings under heavy security.
Technical data and statistics
The Tupolev Tu-154Tupolev Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown...
B-1 was operated by Aeroflot (later becoming East Siberia). It was equipped with three Kuznetsov NK-8-2U
Kuznetsov NK-8
The NK-8 was a low-bypass turbofan engine built by the Kuznetsov Design Bureau, in the 20,000 lbf thrust class. It powered production models of the Ilyushin Il-62 and the Tupolev Tu-154A and B models.-External links: - NK-8...
engines, and first flew in 1977.
The flight carried 170 passengers, including 8 teenagers and 16 young children; 2700 kg of luggage, 306 kg of post, and 1600 kg of cargo.
The flight had a crew of 9. The captain was highly experiences, with 16,365 hours in the air (including 4303 hours of night flights).
The flight was approaching Omsk in poor weather: light rain, visibility 2 miles with a 300 foot ceiling.
The flight was the deadliest in Soviet aviation history. On 10 July 1985, it was surpassed by Aeroflot Flight 7425
Aeroflot Flight 7425
Aeroflot Flight 7425 refers to a Tupolev Tu-154B-2, registration CCCP-85311, that was operating a domestic scheduled Tashkent–Karshi–Orenburg–Leningrad passenger service under the airline's Uzbekistan division, that crashed near Uchkuduk, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union, while en route its second leg...
, another Tu-154, which crashed in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
. That accident killed 200 people.