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 Yak-40 of theAeroflot company | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 April 1983 (1983-04-19) |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) due to crew andair traffic control errors |
| Site | |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Yakovlev Yak-40 |
| Operator | Aeroflot (Armenian Civil Aviation Directorate, Leninakan OAE) |
| Registration | CCCP-87291 |
| Flight origin | Gumrak Airport,Volgograd |
| Stopover | Nalchik Airport |
| Destination | Shirak Airport,Leninakan |
| Passengers | 17 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 21 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aeroflot Flight E-46 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight that crashed on Tuesday, April 19, 1983, nearLeninakan (nowGyumri),Armenia. The aircraft, aYakovlev Yak-40 operated byAeroflot, impacted terrain, resulting in the deaths of all 21 people on board.
TheYak-40, with tail number 87291 (factory number 9320628, serial number 28-06), was produced by theSaratov Aviation Plant in 1973 and delivered to theMinistry of Civil Aviation of the USSR, which directed it to the Leninakan squadron of theArmenian Civil Aviation Directorate on May 10.[1][2]
The aircraft was operating flight E-46 on the routeVolgograd —Nalchik —Leninakan, piloted by a crew with Captain (PIC) R.G. Bagdasaryan. At 17:07, theYak-40 took off fromNalchik Airport and, after climbing, reached an altitude of 6,600 meters. On board were 4 crew members and 17 passengers.[1]
After passingKislovodsk, the aircraft veered to the right, for which the crew was warned by the dispatcher of theMinvody regional center. However, the response to commands to return to the designated flight path (DFP) was slow, and the aircraft followed parallel to it, 10 kilometers from the route. By the time the aircraft passedGori, it was brought back onto the DFP and at 17:53 contacted the dispatcher of theTbilisi regional center (RC Tbilisi), reporting passingGori at an altitude of 6,600 meters. The Tbilisi dispatcher confirmed the passage ofGori and instructed to descend to 5,700 meters. Subsequently, en route toLeninakan, the crew periodically changed the flight course, which reduced from 185° to 130°, without actively navigating the aircraft, resulting in a left deviation from the route by 28 kilometers. At 18:02, the pilots reported to the RC Tbilisi dispatcher about leaving the zone as calculated at an altitude of 5,700 meters. However, in reality, the aircraft was not at the 100 km calculated exit point but 57 kilometers fromTbilisi, 28 kilometers left of the route, with 39 kilometers remaining to theAir Traffic Control (ATC) transfer boundary.[1]
At 18:03, the crew contacted theLeninakan Airport approach dispatcher, reporting entry into the zone, although they were actually still 87 kilometers away and 29 kilometers left of the route. A minute and a half later, the aircraft requested its position. The dispatcher reported an azimuth of 30° and stated that the aircraft was not visible on the radar screen. This could have indicated a significant left deviation from the flight path, but the dispatcher took no action to correct it. Not knowing their actual position, the pilots soon reported passing the control boundary at 21 kilometers and that conditions were suitable forvisual flight. The approach dispatcher then allowed them to descend to 3,300 meters at theRadio Navigation Point (RNP). While descending to the specified altitude, the crew did not navigate the aircraft to the airport beacon and did not use onboard or groundradio navigation systems (RNS).[1]
The sky was covered withcumulus clouds at an altitude of 600—1000 meters, with a top edge of 7—8 kilometers, visibility more than 10 kilometers, and the mountain peaks were partially obscured by clouds. During descent, the crew reported passing through 3,600 meters, and the approach controller instructed them to contact the circle controller, whose duties he was performing. Despite not seeing the aircraft on the radar screen, he allowed the crew to descend to 900 meters for the third turn. The airliner was actually 40 kilometers from the airport, but the crew was unaware of this and at 18:08, after receiving clearance to descend, reported passing the airport RNP, although they were off course, and began maneuvering forlanding.[1]
At 18:09, while performing a right turn with a 13° bank at a course of 178°, theYak-40 crashed into the slope ofMount Shishtepe at an altitude of 2,523 meters at a speed of 330 km/h, 41 kilometers northeast ofLeninakan Airport (betweenSpitak andStepanavan,Lori Province). The aircraft was completely destroyed on impact, and all 21 people on board — 4 crew members and 17 passengers — were killed.[1]
According to the commission's findings, the following reasons led to the disaster:[1]
TheYak-40 aircraft disaster occurred due to gross violations of theAir Traffic Control service dispatchers and the aircraft crew of theNPP GA-78 and the Flight Operation Manual atLeninakan Airport, which led to the premature descent of the aircraft outside the aerodrome scheme and its collision with a mountainside.[1]