Aeroflot Flight 4225

1980 aviation accident

43°19′42″N 76°59′19″E / 43.32833°N 76.98861°E / 43.32833; 76.98861AircraftAircraft typeTupolev Tu-154B-2OperatorAeroflotRegistrationCCCP-85355Flight originAlmaty International AirportDestinationSimferopol AirportOccupants166Passengers156Crew10Fatalities166Survivors0

Aeroflot Flight 4225 was a Tupolev Tu-154B-2 on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Alma-Ata Airport (now Almaty) to Simferopol Airport on 8 July 1980. The aircraft had reached an altitude of no more than 500 feet when the airspeed suddenly dropped because of thermal currents it encountered during the climb out. This caused the airplane to stall less than 5 kilometres (3.1 mi; 2.7 nmi) from the airport, crash and catch fire, killing all 156 passengers and 10 crew on board.^[1] To date, it remains the deadliest aviation accident in Kazakhstan.^[1]

Accident

At the time of the accident, Alma-Ata was experiencing a heat wave. It was around 00:39 and Flight 4225 took off from Alma-Ata Airport in Soviet Kazakhstan.^[1] Only a few seconds after take off, the flight reached 500 feet (150 m) when the plane reached a zone of hot air and was caught in a downdraft. The Tupolev stalled, plummeted nose down into a farm near the suburbs of Alma-Ata and slid into a ravine, caught fire and disintegrated, killing everyone on board.^[2]^[3]

Investigation

The Soviet aviation board concluded that the crash was caused by windshear which took place while the aircraft was near its maximum takeoff weight for the local conditions which included mountains.^[2]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 154B-2 CCCP-85355 Alma-Ata Airport (ALA)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Катастрофа Ту-154Б-2 Алма-Атинского ОАО в районе а/п Алма-Ата" [Accident of Tu-154B-2 of Alma-Ata OJSC in the area of Alma-Ata airport]. www.airdisaster.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-04-12.
^ "Туполев Ту-154Б-2 Бортовой №: СССР-85355" [Tupolev Tu-154B-2 Board number: USSR-85355]. russianplanes.net (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-04-12.
^ Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 164.

External links

Archive copy of Sarasota Herald-Tribune Soviet Jetliner Crashes; At Least 163 are Killed
Archive of The Bulletin from 17 July 1980 163 reported dead in Soviet jet crash

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1980 (1980)

Jan 21

Iran Air Flight 291

Feb 21

Advance Airlines Flight 4210

Feb 27

China Airlines Flight 811

Mar 14

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007

Apr 12

Transbrasil Flight 303

Apr 25

Dan-Air Flight 1008

Apr 27

Thai Airways Flight 231

Jun 1

Barra do Garças air disaster

Jun 12

Air Wisconsin Flight 965

Jun 27

Itavia Flight 870

Jul 8

Aeroflot Flight 4225

Aug 19

Saudia Flight 163

Sep 12

Florida Commuter Airlines Flight 65

Sep 21

Biggin Hill Invader crash

Nov 3

Latin Carga Convair CV-880 crash

Nov 19

Korean Air Lines Flight 015

Dec 4

Camarate air crash

Dec 21

Riohacha Transportes Aéreos del Cesar Caravelle crash

Dec 22

Saudia Flight 162

1979 ◄ ► 1981

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 Kazakhstan
Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20 (1965) Aeroflot Flight 6551 (1973) Aeroflot Flight 3843 (1977) Aeroflot Flight 4225 (1980) Aeroflot Flight 5463 (1983) Kazakhstan Antonov An-72 (2012) SCAT Airlines Flight 760 (2013) Bek Air Flight 2100 (2019)
This includes accidents in the Kazakh SSR and post-independence Kazakhstan.

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