Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514
Encyclopedia
Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise
Flight 514 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Udachny
, Russia, to Moscow. On 7 September 2010, the Tupolev Tu-154M RA-85684 aircraft suffered a complete electrical failure en route, leading to a loss of navigational systems. The electrically operated fuel pumps were also affected, meaning that the aircraft was unable to reach its intended destination. An emergency landing was carried out at the closed Izhma Airport
. The aircraft overran the disused runway on landing and was damaged. All nine crew and 72 passengers escaped unharmed. The crew of Flight 514 were decorated for their actions in the accident.
, at an altitude of 10,600 m (FL
348) when the first signs of a problem were noticed at about 06:59 local time
(02:59 UTC
). Later, a complete loss of electrical systems occurred, which resulted in the loss of navigational systems and the loss of electric fuel pumps, leaving the aircraft with just 3300 kilograms (7,275.3 lb) of useable fuel, enough for just 30 minutes flight. The loss of the electrically driven pumps prevented transfer of fuel from the wing tanks to the engine supply tank in the fuselage. At about 07:47, the emergency authorities at Izhma were informed that the aircraft may be making an emergency landing at the airport there. Izhma Airport is a former airfield that is now used only for helicopters, and the 1325 metres (4,347.1 ft) runway is closed and abandoned. The airfield, having closed to fixed-wing aircraft in 2003, was not marked on then-current maps.
The passengers were moved to the front of the aircraft. The electrical failure also caused a loss of the radio system, flaps and slats. Two attempts to land were aborted. On the third attempt, a successful emergency landing was made at Izhma at 07:55 local time. The aircraft overran the runway by 160 metres (524.9 ft), and sustained some damage in the process. The aircraft landed at a speed of 350 to 380 km/h (178.6 to 193.9 kn), faster than normal, due to the lack of flaps. Although the flaps are powered by hydraulics, the switches operating them are electrical. All nine crew and 72 passengers evacuated using the aircraft's evacuation slide
s. No injuries were reported.
There are conflicting reports describing the extent of the damage to the plane, from minimal to substantial. If repaired, the commercial aircraft requires 2500 metres (8,202.1 ft) of runway to take-off, but the runway at Izhma is only 1325 metres (4,347.1 ft) long. Nevertheless, the airline plans to eventually return the plane to operation.
Weather at the time was overcast, with a visibility of 22 kilometres (11.9 nmi), temperature was 2 °C (35.6 °F), dewpoint 1 °C (33.8 °F), Humidity 85%, wind from the north west at 4 knots (2.2 m/s). The successful emergency landing was hailed as a miracle by Russian aviation experts.
s, a popular pastime in Russia. The survivors were temporarily housed in a sports complex at Izhma, due to a lack of hotel space locally. They were later flown by Mil Mi-8
helicopter to Ukhta Airport
, where a replacement Tupolev Tu-154 flew them on to Moscow. Two passengers decided to continue their journey by rail
instead. The passengers of Flight 514 called for the flight crew to be honoured for their actions. The crew remained in Ukhta to assist authorities with their investigation into the accident. Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin
met the crew and thanked them for their "heroic, decisive and professional actions" in the accident. He also paid tribute to their courage.
On 23 September, it was reported that consideration was being given to flying the aircraft out of Izhma. The aircraft was to be stripped of unnecessary weight and loaded with the minimal necessary amount of fuel before a take-off attempt was made. On 23 March 2011, it was reported that the repaired aircraft had been flown out of Izhma airfield, with video available showing the take-off. The aircraft was flown to Ukhta
, Komi Republic
. After inspection, the aircraft was to be flown to Samara
where further work was scheduled to be undertaken before the aircraft returns to service with Alrosa.
. This affected the entire electrical system, navigation system and radio system.
. The other seven crew members were awarded Orders of Courage
. The order awarding the decorations was signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
.
Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise
Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise is an airline from Mirny, Russia. Its bases are at Mirny Airport and Polyarny Airport, with a focus city at Lensk Airport...
Flight 514 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Udachny
Udachny
Udachny is a town in Mirninsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located northwest of Yakutsk on the Markha River. Population: -History:...
, Russia, to Moscow. On 7 September 2010, the Tupolev Tu-154M RA-85684 aircraft suffered a complete electrical failure en route, leading to a loss of navigational systems. The electrically operated fuel pumps were also affected, meaning that the aircraft was unable to reach its intended destination. An emergency landing was carried out at the closed Izhma Airport
Izhma Airport
Izhma Airport is an airport in Komi, Russia located 3 km northeast of Izhma. It formerly handled small aircraft but was closed to airliners in 2003 and is now only used for helicopters.-Accidents and incidents:...
. The aircraft overran the disused runway on landing and was damaged. All nine crew and 72 passengers escaped unharmed. The crew of Flight 514 were decorated for their actions in the accident.
Accident
Flight 514 was over UsinskUsinsk
Usinsk is a town in the Komi Republic, Russia, situated east of the republic's capital city of Syktyvkar and north of the town of Pechora, on the northern bank of the Usa River, before its confluence with the Pechora River. Population:...
, at an altitude of 10,600 m (FL
Flight level
A Flight Level is a standard nominal altitude of an aircraft, in hundreds of feet. This altitude is calculated from the International standard pressure datum of 1013.25 hPa , the average sea-level pressure, and therefore is not necessarily the same as the aircraft's true altitude either...
348) when the first signs of a problem were noticed at about 06:59 local time
UTC+4
UTC+04:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +04. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as . This time is used in:Gulf Standard Time uses UTC+04.-As standard time :...
(02:59 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
). Later, a complete loss of electrical systems occurred, which resulted in the loss of navigational systems and the loss of electric fuel pumps, leaving the aircraft with just 3300 kilograms (7,275.3 lb) of useable fuel, enough for just 30 minutes flight. The loss of the electrically driven pumps prevented transfer of fuel from the wing tanks to the engine supply tank in the fuselage. At about 07:47, the emergency authorities at Izhma were informed that the aircraft may be making an emergency landing at the airport there. Izhma Airport is a former airfield that is now used only for helicopters, and the 1325 metres (4,347.1 ft) runway is closed and abandoned. The airfield, having closed to fixed-wing aircraft in 2003, was not marked on then-current maps.
The passengers were moved to the front of the aircraft. The electrical failure also caused a loss of the radio system, flaps and slats. Two attempts to land were aborted. On the third attempt, a successful emergency landing was made at Izhma at 07:55 local time. The aircraft overran the runway by 160 metres (524.9 ft), and sustained some damage in the process. The aircraft landed at a speed of 350 to 380 km/h (178.6 to 193.9 kn), faster than normal, due to the lack of flaps. Although the flaps are powered by hydraulics, the switches operating them are electrical. All nine crew and 72 passengers evacuated using the aircraft's evacuation slide
Evacuation slide
An evacuation slide is an inflatable slide used to evacuate an aircraft quickly. An escape slide is required on all commercial aircraft where the door sill height is such that, in the event of an evacuation, passengers would be unable to "step down" from the door uninjured An evacuation slide is...
s. No injuries were reported.
There are conflicting reports describing the extent of the damage to the plane, from minimal to substantial. If repaired, the commercial aircraft requires 2500 metres (8,202.1 ft) of runway to take-off, but the runway at Izhma is only 1325 metres (4,347.1 ft) long. Nevertheless, the airline plans to eventually return the plane to operation.
Weather at the time was overcast, with a visibility of 22 kilometres (11.9 nmi), temperature was 2 °C (35.6 °F), dewpoint 1 °C (33.8 °F), Humidity 85%, wind from the north west at 4 knots (2.2 m/s). The successful emergency landing was hailed as a miracle by Russian aviation experts.
Aftermath
After evacuating the aircraft and while awaiting rescue, some of the passengers searched for mushroomMushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, a popular pastime in Russia. The survivors were temporarily housed in a sports complex at Izhma, due to a lack of hotel space locally. They were later flown by Mil Mi-8
Mil Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....
helicopter to Ukhta Airport
Ukhta Airport
Ukhta Airport is a civilian airport in Russia located 5 km east of Ukhta . It services medium-sized airliners....
, where a replacement Tupolev Tu-154 flew them on to Moscow. Two passengers decided to continue their journey by rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
instead. The passengers of Flight 514 called for the flight crew to be honoured for their actions. The crew remained in Ukhta to assist authorities with their investigation into the accident. Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin
Igor Levitin
Igor Yevgeniyevich Levitin is a Russian political figure who has been Minister of Transport since March 9, 2004.Between 1973 and 1980 Levitin served in the Soviet armed forces in Odessa and then with the Armies Southern Division...
met the crew and thanked them for their "heroic, decisive and professional actions" in the accident. He also paid tribute to their courage.
On 23 September, it was reported that consideration was being given to flying the aircraft out of Izhma. The aircraft was to be stripped of unnecessary weight and loaded with the minimal necessary amount of fuel before a take-off attempt was made. On 23 March 2011, it was reported that the repaired aircraft had been flown out of Izhma airfield, with video available showing the take-off. The aircraft was flown to Ukhta
Ukhta Airport
Ukhta Airport is a civilian airport in Russia located 5 km east of Ukhta . It services medium-sized airliners....
, Komi Republic
Komi Republic
The Komi Republic is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is situated to the west of the Ural mountains, in the north-east of the East European Plain...
. After inspection, the aircraft was to be flown to Samara
Kurumoch International Airport
Kurumoch International Airport is the international airport of Samara, Russia located 35 km north of the city. In 2006, it handled 1,218,954 passengers and 4,121 metric tonnes of cargo. The airport was the base of defunct Samara Airlines....
where further work was scheduled to be undertaken before the aircraft returns to service with Alrosa.
Investigation
Russian authorities launched an investigation into the accident. A preliminary report was expected to be published after 10 days. On 14 September 2010, the report indicated that the batteries had self-overheated, suffering a thermal runawayThermal runaway
Thermal runaway refers to a situation where an increase in temperature changes the conditions in a way that causes a further increase in temperature, often leading to a destructive result...
. This affected the entire electrical system, navigation system and radio system.
Awards
The pilots of Flight 514, Andrei Lamanov and Yevgeny Novoselov, were made Heroes of the Russian FederationHero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
. The other seven crew members were awarded Orders of Courage
Order of Courage
The Order of Courage is a decoration presented by the government of the Russian Federation. Established in 1994, the order is presented for "acts of courage or self-sacrifice."- External links :* *...
. The order awarding the decorations was signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
.