AirSafe.com

Fatal Passenger Events Since 1990 for
Airlines of the Former Soviet Union

The following is a list of fatal passenger events since 1990 involving jet airliners from Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union. These events include scheduled and non-scheduled airline flights and may include passenger fatalities due to hijackings, sabotage, or military action.

1. 13 January 1990; Aeroflot Tupolev 134A; near Pervouralsk, Russia: The aircraft had an onboard fire while in cruise between Tyrmen and Ufa. The crew made a forced landing about two miles (three km) from Pervouralsk. Four of the six crew members and 23 of the 65 passengers were killed.

2. 1 August 1990; Aeroflot Yak-40; Pavlodar, Kazakhstan: The aircraft was inbound to Stepanakert when the aircraft impacted cloud shrouded high ground about 14 miles (22 km) from the airport. All four crew members and 26 passengers were killed.

3. 13 September 1990; Aeroflot Yak-42, Sverdlovsk, Russia: The aircraft touched down about one mile (1.6 km) short of the runway during a night approach. One of the five crew members and three of the 124 passengers were killed.

4. 23 May 1991; Aeroflot Tupolev 154B; St. Petersburg, Russia: The aircraft touched down just short of the runway at an excessive sink rate and during rainy conditions. None of the seven crew members and 13 of the 174 passengers were killed.

5. 7 November 1991; Azerbaijan Airlines Yak-40; near Makhachkala, Russia: The aircraft was inbound from Elista in poor weather when it impacted high ground. All four crew members and 47 passengers were killed.

6. 27 August 1992; Aeroflot Tupolev 134A; Ivanovo, Russia: The aircraft impacted about two miles (three km) short of the runway after an excessively steep and fast approach. All seven crew members and 77 passengers were killed.

7. 27 August 1993; Tajik Air Yak-40; Khorog, Tajikistan : The aircraft was departing for Dushanbe and the crew was attempting to abort the takeoff. After an unsuccessful aborted takeoff, the aircraft overran the runway and fell into a river. All five crew members and 77 of the 81 passengers were killed. The Yak-40 is normally configured for about 28 passengers.

8. 21 September 1993; Transair Georgia Tupolev 134A; near Sukhumi, Georgia : The charter aircraft departed from Sochi, Russia and was on final approach when it was hit by a missile. The aircraft crashed into the sea about 2.5 miles (four km) from the airport. All five crew members and 22 passengers were killed.

9. 3 January 1994; Biakalavia Tupolev 154M, near Irkutsk, Russia: Shortly after takeoff on a flight to Moscow, a failure in the number two engine damaged fuel lines and started a fire near the engine. The aircraft lost control and crashed due to subsequent damage to the flight control hydraulics system. All nine crew members and 115 passengers were killed.

10. 22 March 1994; Russian International Airways A310; near Novokuznetsk, Russia: Lost control and crashed after the captain had allowed at least one child to manipulate the flight controls. All 12 crew and 63 passengers were killed
    Fatal A310 Events

11. 26 September 1994; Cheremshanka Airlines Yak-40; near Vanavara, Russia: The aircraft was inbound to Tura on a flight from Krasnoyarsk when bad weather forced the crew to fly to an alternate airport at Vanavara. The aircraft ran out of fuel en route and the crew unsuccessfully attempted a forced landing. All four crew members and 24 passengers were killed.

12. 12 May 1995; Azerbaijan Airlines Tupolev 134A; near Nahicevan, Azerbaijan: Both engines failed shortly after takeoff and the crew made a forced landing about four miles (six km) from the airport. Two of the six crew members and 50 of the 76 passengers were killed.

13. 7 December 1995; Khabarovsk Air Tupolev 154B, 200 km east of Khabarovsk, Russia: The aircraft crashed in a remote, mountainous part of the Russian far east. The aircraft was in cruise at 31,500 feet and disappeared from radar shortly after making a routine air traffic control report. All 89 passengers and 8 crew were killed.

14. 29 August 1996; Vnukovo Airlines Tupolev 154; Spitsbergen, Norway: The aircraft was on a charter flight transporting Russian miners and their families to Spitsbergen when the aircraft crashed on a mountain about 6 miles (10 km) from Longyearbyen airport. All 14 crew members and 127 passengers were killed.

15. 26 October 1996; Tyumenaviatrans Yak-40, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia: The aircraft crashed into three helicopters while landing in a snowstorm after the crew apparently mistook the helipad for the nearby airport runway. Five of the 26 passengers and four crew were killed.

16. 15 December 1997; Tajikistan Airlines Tupolev 154B; Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: The aircraft was on approach to Sharjah after a flight from Khodzhent, Tajikistan when it crashed in a river about 8 miles (13 km) from the airport. Eight of the nine crew members and all 77 passengers were killed.

17. 17 December 1997; AeroSvit Yak-42; near Salonica, Greece: The aircraft was inbound from Odessa, Ukraine to Salonica and was in a holding pattern when it impacted high ground. All eight crew members and 62 passengers were killed.

18. 15 March 2001; Vnukovo Airlines Tupolev 154; Medina, Saudi Arabia: The aircraft was hijacked by three men about 30 minutes after departing Istanbul, Turkey on a flight to Moscow, Russia. After being diverted to Medina, Saudi Arabia, the hijackers entered negotiations with Saudi Arabian authorities and released some of the hostages. The following day, commandos stormed the aircraft and freed the rest of the hostages. One of the 12 crew members and one of the 159 passengers were killed by the hijackers. One hijacker was killed and the other two were captured.

19. 3 July 2001; Vladivostok Avia Tupolev 154; near Irkutsk, Russia: The plane crashed about 34 kilometers (21 miles) from Irkutsk in the Siberian region of Russia, while on a domestic flight from Yekaterinburg in western Russia to Vladivostok on the Pacific coast of Russia. The aircraft was making a third approach to Irkutsk, a scheduled refueling stop, when it crashed. All nine crew members and 136 passengers were killed.

20. 4 October 2001; Sibir Airlines Tupolev 154M; Black Sea near Adler, Russia: The plane crashed about 184 kilometers (114 miles) from southern Russia in the Black Sea, shortly after the aircraft exploded in flight. The aircraft had departed from Tel Aviv, Israel on a charter flight to Novosibirsk, Russia and was at cruise altitude when the explosion occurred. The reason for the in-flight explosion, which was witnessed by another airliner flight crew, is not known. However, various pieces of evidence point to in inadvertent strike by a Ukrainian military missile. All 12 crew members and 64 passengers were killed.

21. 1 July 2002; Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev 154; near ?eberlingen, Germany: The aircraft collided with a DHL 757 while both aircraft were flying at about 36,000 feet (about 11,000 meters). Debris from both aircraft fell in an area near Lake Constance on the German-Swiss border. Both crew members on the DHL 757 and the 57 passengers and 12 crew members on the Tupolev 154 were killed. The 57 passengers on the Tupolev 154 included 52 children and teenagers. The 757 departed Bahrain and was continuing on to Brussels after a stop in Bergamo in northern Italy. The Tupolev 154 was on a trip from Moscow to Barcelona and had made a stopover in Munich shortly before the accident.
    Fatal Midair Collision Events
    Fatal 757 Events
    Accident Report

    8 May 2003; Ilyushin 76, near Kinshasa, Congo: The aircraft, operated by the Ukraine government, was about 45 minutes into a non-scheduled domestic flight from Kinshasa to Lubumbashi with several hundred passengers when in the cargo hold area when the rear cargo ramp reportedly came open, leading to a rapid depressurization and the loss of dozens of passengers. The crew was able to return to Kinshasa and land. Reports from different news organizations give a varying number of passengers and victims. While no crew fatalities were mentioned and some passengers survived, the number of passengers killed ranged from less than 10 to over 200. This was not a regular airline flight and will not count toward AirSafe.com fatal event rates.

    26 May 2003; Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines Yak-42D, near Macka, Turkey: The aircraft, chartered by NATO's Maintenance and Supply Agency, had departed Kabul, Afghanistan and was inbound for a scheduled refueling stop at Trabzon airport when it crashed into high ground near Macka, Turkey. There was heavy fog in the area and the aircraft had attempted several landings prior to the crash. All 13 crew members and 62 passengers were killed. The passengers were all Spanish peacekeeping forces returning from a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. This was not a regular airline flight and will not count toward AirSafe.com fatal event rates.

22. 13 January 2004; Uzbekistan Airways Yak-42, Tashkent, Uzbekistan: The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Termez to Tashkent and crashed during final approach. There was heavy fog in the area of the airport at the time of the crash. All five crew members and 32 passengers were killed, including the senior United Nations representative in Uzbekistan.

23. 24 August 2004; Volga-Aviaexpress Tupolev 134A; near Buchalki, Russia: The aircraft departed Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) about 2230 on a scheduled flight to Volgograd in southern Russia. This aircraft took off about 10 minutes before a Sibir Airlines Tupolev 154B which also crashed the same evening after departing the same airport. The aircraft broke up in flight and crashed, about thirty minutes after takeoff and within minutes of the in flight breakup of the Sibir Airlines aircraft. At least one witness reported hearing several explosions at about the time of the breakup. Wreckage from this aircraft was found in the Tula region, near the village of Buchalki, about 125 miles (200 km) from Moscow. Investigators have found traces of explosive residue on both aircraft, and are investigating the possibility that these events were due to sabotage. The two aircraft were separated by about 500 miles (800 km) at the time of their respective crashes. All seven crew members and 34 passengers were killed.

24. 24 August 2004; Sibir Airlines Tupolev 154B; near Rostov-on-Don, Russia: The aircraft departed Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) about 2240 on a scheduled flight to Sochi near the Black Sea. This aircraft took off about 10 minutes after a Volga-Aviaexpress Tupolev 134A which also crashed the same evening after departing the same airport. The aircraft broke up in flight and crashed, about 20 minutes after takeoff and within minutes of the in flight breakup of the Volga-Aviaexpress aircraft. According to Sibir Airlines, shortly before the crash, an emergency signal was sent from the aircraft. Wreckage from this aircraft was found near Rostov-on-Don, about 600 miles (960 km) from Moscow. Investigators have found traces of explosive residue on both aircraft, and are investigating the possibility that these events were due to sabotage. All eight crew members and 38 passengers were killed.

    Note: The last time that two aircraft departing from the same airport on the same day were both involved in a fatal event was 11 September 2001 when an American Airlines 767 and United Airlines 767 were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center towers.

25. 3 February 2005; Kam Air 737-200; near Kabul, Afghanistan: The aircraft was approaching Kabul on a domestic flight from Herat when it crashed in mountainous terrain about 20 miles (32 km) from its destination. The aircraft was scheduled domestic flight from Herat to Kabul and was diverted from landing at Kabul due to the effects of a severe snowstorm. The crew had sought clearance to land in Peshawar, Pakistan prior to losing contact with air traffic control. All eight crew members and 96 passengers were killed. Although this was a domestic flight within Afghanistan, the airline was based in Kyrgyzstan.
    Fatal 737 Events

26. 3 May 2006; Armavia Airlines A320; near Sochi, Russia:
    The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Yerevan, Armenia to Sochi. At the time of the crash, visibility was limited due to darkness, a low overcast cloud layer, and light rain showers. The crew reportedly abandoned the first landing attempt due to the weather conditions. While the crew was maneuvering for a second landing attempt on a different runway, the aircraft crashed into the Black Sea about 6 km (3.8 miles) from the airport.
    All eight crew members and 105 passengers were killed.
    Fatal A320 Events

27. 9 July 2006; Sibir Airlines A310-300; Irkutsk, Russia: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Moscow to Irkutsk. Weather at Irkutsk included a low overcast, rain, and thunderstorms in the area. The aircraft landed on the runway, but was unable to stop on the runway. After departing the runway, the aircraft collided with a concrete structure, broke up, and caught fire. Five of the eight crew members, and 119 of the 195 passengers were killed.
    Fatal A310 Events

28. 22 August 2006; Pulkovo Airlines Tupolev 154M; near Donetsk, Ukraine: The aircraft departed on a scheduled domestic flight from Anapa to St. Petersburg. About 30 minutes after takeoff and at an altitude of about 36,000 feet (11,000 meters), the crew reported an emergency. Another transmission was reportedly received before the aircraft crashed. The crash occurred about 30 miles (48 km) north of the Ukrainian city of Donetsk. All 10 crew members and 160 passengers were killed.

29. 17 March 2007; UT Air Tupolev 134A; Samara, Russia: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Surgut to Samara. During approach, visibility was limited due to weather conditions. The aircraft touched down about 400 meters short of the runway, broke up, and caught fire. All seven crew members survived, but six of the 50 passengers were killed.