1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash

Soviet Air Force crash near Yekaterinburg, Russia

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1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash
Accident
A Li-2 similar to the accident aircraft
Date	7 January 1950
Summary	Landing failure
Site	Koltsovo Airport, Sverdlovsk, USSR
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Lisunov Li-2 (license-built DC-3)
Operator	Soviet Air Force transport
Registration	42 red^[1]
Flight origin	Vnukovo Airport, Moscow, USSR
Destination	Chelyabinsk Airport, Chelyabinsk
Passengers	13
Crew	6
Fatalities	19
Injuries	0
Survivors	0

The Sverdlovsk plane crash of 7 January 1950 killed all 19 persons on board, including almost the entire ice hockey team (VVS Moscow) of the Soviet Air Forces – 11 players, as well as a team doctor and a masseur. The team was on board a twin-engined Lisunov Li-2 transport aircraft, a licensed Soviet-built version of the DC-3, heading to a match against Dzerzhinets Chelyabinsk. Due to poor weather at Chelyabinsk, the flight diverted to Sverdlovsk. The crew attempted four approaches but during the fifth approach to Koltsovo Airport the aircraft crashed near the airport in a heavy snowstorm with strong winds.^[2]

Among those killed in the crash was goalkeeper Harijs Mellups.

Aftermath

The crash was covered up by Vasiliy Stalin, the son of Joseph Stalin and the teams manager, who immediately recruited a new team without his fathers knowledge.^[3]^[4]

References

^ Accident description for 42 red at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 8 October 2013.
^ "Athletes – Famous Olympic Athletes, Medalists, Sports Heroes". 9 May 2017.
^ Ellen Barry; Andrew E. Kramer (7 September 2011). "Crash Wipes Out Elite Russian Hockey Team, Killing Several Veterans of the N.H.L." The New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
^ Kevin Sherrington (13 February 1992). "Remembering hockey tragedy". The Miami Herald. The Dallas Morning News. p. 9D. Retrieved 17 March 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union

1930s	Osoaviakhim-1 SSSR-V6 Osoaviakhim
1940s	1948 Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-12 crash
1950s	1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash LOT Polish Airlines Flight 232 1957 Kiev mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 04 1958 Aeroflot Tu-104 Kanash crash Aeroflot Flight 315 (1959) Aeroflot Flight 120 Aeroflot Flight 200
1960s	Aeroflot Flight 315 (1960) U-2 incident Aeroflot Flight 207 RB-47 shootdown incident Aeroflot Flight 036 Austrian Airlines Flight 901 Aeroflot Flight 068 Aeroflot Flight 245 Aeroflot Flight 902 Aeroflot Flight 415 Aeroflot Flight 213 (1962) Aeroflot Flight 191 Aeroflot Flight 03 Aeroflot Flight 25 Aeroflot Flight 012 Aeroflot Flight 366 Aeroflot Flight 663 Aeroflot Flight 721 Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20 Aeroflot Flight 542 Aeroflot Flight 513 Aeroflot Flight 99 Aeroflot Flight 065 Aeroflot Flight 2723 Aeroflot Flight 5003 (1967) Aeroflot Flight 2230 Aeroflot Flight L-51 Aeroflot Flight 15 Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253A 1969 Yukhnov mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight N-826
1970s	Aeroflot Flight U-45 Aeroflot Flight 1661 Dymshits–Kuznetsov hijacking affair Aeroflot Flight 3630 Aeroflot Flight 244 22 January 1971 Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crash 31 January 1971 Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crash Aeroflot Flight 1969 Aeroflot Flight 1912 Malév Flight 110 Aeroflot Flight 773 Aeroflot Flight N-63 Aeroflot Flight 2174 Aeroflot Flight 1491 Aeroflot Flight 558 Aeroflot Flight 1036 Aeroflot Flight 217 Japan Air Lines Flight 446 Aeroflot Flight 6263 Aeroflot Flight 141 Aeroflot Flight 630 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307 Aeroflot Flight 6551 Aeroflot Flight 109 Aeroflot Flight A-13 Aeroflot Flight 3932 Aeroflot Flight 964 Aeroflot Flight 19 Aeroflot Flight 2022 1974 Leningrad Aeroflot Il-18 crash 1974 Surgut mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 2003 Aeroflot Flight 3739 (1976) Aeroflot Flight 909 Aeroflot Flight 1802 Aeroflot Flight A-53 Aeroflot Flight 418 1976 Anapa mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 2415 Aeroflot Flight N-36 Aeroflot Flight 3843 Aeroflot Flight 5003 (1977) 1977 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 hijacking Aeroflot Flight B-2 Aeroflot Flight 6709 Korean Air Lines Flight 902 1978 Yegoryevsk Tu-144 crash Iranian Chinook shootdown Aeroflot Flight 1080 Aeroflot Flight 1691 1979 Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 5484
1980s– Dec. 1991	Aeroflot Flight 4225 1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash Aeroflot Flight 498 1981 Armenia mid-air collision 1981 Zheleznogorsk mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 811 Aeroflot Flight 3603 Aeroflot Flight 8641 Aeroflot Flight 411 Aeroflot Flight 5463 Korean Air Lines Flight 007 Aeroflot Flight 601 Aeroflot Flight 3352 Aeroflot Flight 3519 Aeroflot Flight 7841 1985 Zolochiv mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 5143 Aeroflot Flight 101/435 Aeroflot Flight 2306 Aeroflot Flight 6502 Aeroflot Flight U-505 Aeroflot Flight N-528 Aeroflot Flight 699 Aeroflot Flight 3739 (1988) 1988 Soviet Air Force Il-76 crash An-24 crash in Navoiy Aeroflot Flight 8556

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1950 (1950)
Jan 7 Sverdlovsk plane crash Jan 24 Philippine Air Lines DC-3 disappearance Jan 26 USAF C-54 disappearance Feb 13 British Columbia B-36 crash Mar 7 Northwest Orient Flight 307 Mar 12 Llandow air disaster Jun 12 Air France DC-4 accidents Jun 24 Northwest Orient Flight 2501 Jun 26 Australian National Airways Douglas DC-4 crash Aug 5 Fairfield-Suisun Boeing B-29 crash Aug 31 TWA Flight 903 Sep 14 Geysir air crash Oct 31 Heathrow Vickers Viking crash Nov 3 Air India Flight 245 Nov 13 Tête de l'Obiou C-54 crash Dec 30 Maroochy air crash
1949 ◄ ► 1951

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1950 (1950)

Jan 7

Sverdlovsk plane crash

Jan 24

Philippine Air Lines DC-3 disappearance

Jan 26

USAF C-54 disappearance

Feb 13

British Columbia B-36 crash

Mar 7

Northwest Orient Flight 307

Mar 12