Aeroflot Flight 2415

1976 Soviet aircraft accident

56°01′11″N 37°17′30″E / 56.01972°N 37.29167°E / 56.01972; 37.29167AircraftAircraft typeTupolev Tu-104BOperatorAeroflotRegistrationСССР-42471Flight originSheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, RussiaDestinationPulkovo Airport, Saint Petersburg, RussiaOccupants73Passengers67Crew6Fatalities73Survivors0

Aeroflot Flight 2415 (Russian: Рейс 2415 Аэрофлота Reys 2415 Aeroflota) was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Moscow to Leningrad that crashed shortly after takeoff on 28 November 1976. The cause of the accident was attributed to crew disorientation as a result of artificial horizon failure in low visibility conditions.^[1]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Tupolev Tu-104B registered СССР-42471 to Aeroflot-Russian Airlines. The aircraft rolled off the final assembly line of the Kazan Aircraft Production facility on 22 February 1960 and was delivered to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 24 March 1960. In the aircraft's sixteen years of operation it accumulated 22,199 flight hours and 13,336 pressurization cycles.^[2]

Crew

On board the plane were six crew members, of which four were cockpit crew and two were cabin crew.^[2]

The cockpit crew consisted of:

Captain Boris Nikolaevich Gorokhovsky, (Russian: Борис Николаевич Гороховский) serving as the pilot in command
Co-pilot Igor Borisovich Nikolaev, (Russian: Игорь Борисович Николаев)
Navigator Vladimir Viktorovich Gusev (Russian: Владимир Викторович Гусев)
Flight engineer Vladimir Grigorevich Vasiliev (Russian: Владимир Григорьевич Васильев)

Sequence of events

Final tally of passenger nationalities^[3]
Nationality	Passengers	Crew	Total
Soviet Union	65	6	71
East Germany	1	0	1
Czechoslovakia	1	0	1
Total	67	6	73

Flight 2415 took off from Moscow-Sheremetyevo International Airport despite bad weather at 6:53 local time. On board the plane were the six crew members as well as 67 passengers, including four children. The weather forecast for the evening was cloudiness limiting visibility to 1,500 metres (1.5 km; 0.93 mi) at best with mild winds. The plane took off from the runway at a safe speed of 290 kilometres per hour (160 kn; 180 mph). After takeoff the pilots reduced engine power and radioed the control tower for instructions to proceed. The crew was instructed to head on a bearing of 265°; the pilots performed the maneuver by setting the ailerons for banking to the right. After banking 265° the aircraft continued to bank to the right, losing altitude and picking up speed in the process, putting the aircraft into a steep dive. The plane crashed into the ground 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi; 5.1 nmi) from the airport, exploding on impact and killing all passengers and crew aboard the plane.^[4]^[3]

Causes

The State Supervisory Commission for Flight Safety board cited among the causes of the crash included failure of the artificial horizon, poor visibility from the cockpit, and lack of warnings indicating the failure of the artificial horizon. Due to the damage to the aircraft caused by the crash, it was impossible to determine if the ailerons were functioning correctly at the time. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorders were both missing the last six seconds of data, presumably as result of the damage in the post-crash fire. The board concluded that the crew demonstrated excellent calm in the emergency in their efforts to fly with incorrect data from the aircraft; weather was not determined to be a primary cause of the crash. It is worth noting that one member of the board, Markov, disagreed with the findings of the report and attributed the accident to pilot error; but he was overruled by Gosavianadzor who sided with the rest of the board.^[3]

References

^ "ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 104B СССР-42471 Moskva-Sheremetyevo". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Туполев Ту-104Б Бортовой №: СССР-42471". russianplanes.net. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Катастрофа Ту-104Б Ленинградского ОАО в районе а/п Шереметьево". www.airdisaster.ru. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
^ "Расшифровка переговоров. Катастрофа Ту-104Б Ленинградского ОАО в районе а/п Шереметьево (борт СССР-42471), 28 ноября 1976 года. // AirDisaster.ru - авиационные происшествия, инциденты и авиакатастрофы в СССР и России - факты, история, статистика". www.airdisaster.ru. Retrieved 17 March 2017.

Aeroflot

Part of the SkyTeam alliance

Subsidiaries

Active	Pobeda Rossiya
Inactive	Dobrolet Donavia Orenair SAT Airlines Vladivostok Air
Exited	Aurora Nordavia (now Smartavia)

Fleet

Accidents and
incidents

1950s	Flight 31 Kiev mid-air collision Flight 04 Тu-104 Kanash crash Flight 120 Flight 200 Flight 315
1960s	Flight 315 Flight 207 Flight 036 Flight 068 Flight 245 Flight 902 Flight 415 Flight 03 Flight 213 Flight 191 Flight 25 Flight 012 Flight 366 Flight 663 Flight 721 Flight 101/X-20 Flight 542 Flight 513 Flight 99 Flight 065 Flight 2723 Flight 5003 Flight 2230 Flight L-51 Flight 1668 Flight 15 Flight 831 Flight N-826
1970s	Flight U-45 Flight 1661 Flight 3630 CCCP-11000 crash CCCP-12996 crash Flight 1969 Flight 1912 Flight 773 Flight 2174 Flight 1491 Flight 558 Flight 1036 Flight 217 Flight 6263 Flight 141 Flight 630 Flight 6551 Flight 109 Flight A-13 Flight 3932 Flight 964 Flight 19 Flight 2022 CCCP-75559 crash Flight 662 Flight 2003 Flight 3739 Flight 909 Flight 1802 Flight 418 Flights 7957 and 31 Flight 2415 Flight N-36 Flight 3843 Flight 5003 Flight 331 Flight B-2 Flight 6709 Flight 1080 Flight 1691 Flights 7628 and 7880 Flight 5484
1980s	Flight 4225 Flight 498 Flight 811 Flight 3603 Flight 8641 Flight 411 Flight 343 Flight 5463 Flight 601 Flight 3352 Flight 3519 Flight 7841 Zolochiv mid-air collision Flight 5143 Flight 101/435 Flight 2306 Flight 6502 Flight 892 Flight U-505 Flight N-528 Flight 699 Flight 3739
since 1990s	CCCP-46472 crash Flight 2808 Flight 593 Flight 521 Flight 821 Flight 1492

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1976 (1976)
Jan 1 Middle East Airlines Flight 438 Jan 3 Aeroflot Flight 2003 Jan 15 Taxi Aereo el Venado Douglas DC-4 accident Feb 9 Aeroflot Flight 3739 Mar 6 Aeroflot Flight 909 Apr 5 Alaska Airlines Flight 60 Apr 27 American Airlines Flight 625 May 9 Imperial Iranian Air Force Flight 48 May 15 Aeroflot Flight 1802 May 23 Philippine Airlines Flight 116 Jun 1 Aeroflot Flight 418 Jun 4 Air Manila Flight 702 Jun 6 Double Six Crash Jun 27 Air France Flight 139 Jul 28 ČSA Flight 001 Aug 15 SAETA Flight 232 Aug 23 EgyptAir Flight 321 Sep 9 Anapa mid-air collision Sep 10 Zagreb mid-air collision Sep 10 TWA Flight 355 Sep 19 Turkish Airlines Flight 452 Oct 6 Cubana de Aviación Flight 455 Oct 12 Indian Airlines Flight 171 Oct 13 LAB Boeing 707 crash Nov 23 Olympic Airways Flight 830 Nov 28 Aeroflot Flight 2415 Dec 17 Aeroflot Flight N-36 Dec 25 EgyptAir Flight 864
1975 ◄ ► 1977

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1976 (1976)

Jan 1

Middle East Airlines Flight 438

Jan 3

Aeroflot Flight 2003

Jan 15

Taxi Aereo el Venado Douglas DC-4 accident

Feb 9

Aeroflot Flight 3739

Mar 6

Aeroflot Flight 909

Apr 5

Alaska Airlines Flight 60

Apr 27

American Airlines Flight 625

May 9

Imperial Iranian Air Force Flight 48

May 15

Aeroflot Flight 1802

May 23

Philippine Airlines Flight 116

Jun 1

Aeroflot Flight 418

Jun 4

Air Manila Flight 702

Jun 6

Double Six Crash

Jun 27

Air France Flight 139

Jul 28

ČSA Flight 001

Aug 15

SAETA Flight 232

Aug 23

EgyptAir Flight 321

Sep 9

Anapa mid-air collision

Sep 10

Zagreb mid-air collision

Sep 10

TWA Flight 355

Sep 19

Turkish Airlines Flight 452

Oct 6

Cubana de Aviación Flight 455

Oct 12

Indian Airlines Flight 171

Oct 13

LAB Boeing 707 crash

Nov 23

Olympic Airways Flight 830

Nov 28

Aeroflot Flight 2415

Dec 17

Aeroflot Flight N-36

Dec 25

EgyptAir Flight 864

1975 ◄ ► 1977

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