Aeroflot Flight 542

1965 aviation accident

Aeroflot Flight 542
Accident
An Li-2 similar to the one involved in the accident
Date	7 March 1965 (1965-03-07)
Summary	Severe turbulence, wing failure
Site	Yermakovsky District, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Soviet Union
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Lisunov Li-2
Operator	Aeroflot/Krasnoyarsk
Registration	CCCP-54971
Flight origin	Abakan International Airport
Destination	Kyzyl Airport
Occupants	31
Passengers	27
Crew	4
Fatalities	31
Survivors	0

On 7 March 1965, an Aeroflot Li-2 operating as Aeroflot Flight 542 (Abakan to Kyzyl) crashed shortly after takeoff from Abakan. Approximately 40 minutes after departure, the aircraft banked left and dived into the mountains of the Krasnoyarsk Krai region of the USSR. All 31 passengers and crew died, making it the deadliest known accident involving the Li-2.

Background

The aircraft in question was an Li-2 (itself a Soviet license-built version of the DC-3) with the serial number 23442810, produced by the Tashkent Aviation Plant in 1952 and transferred to the Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet. On September 24, the airliner received the tail number USSR-L4971 and was sent to the 132nd (Tuva) squadron of the Krasnoyarsk Civil Air Fleet Directorate. In 1959, it was converted to a passenger airliner, and re-registered as CCCP-54971. The aircraft had flown for 17,098 hours at the time of the accident.^[1]

Accident

The plane had already flown from Kyzyl to Abakan, departing at 05:10 Local time (08:10 UTC) and landing safely at 06:55. 24 adult passengers and three children were on board the return flight, which weighed 10,946 kg (24,132 lb), exceeding the Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) by 246 kg (542 lb), although the aircraft was still safe. At 07:04, Flight 542 had an on-time departure bound for Kyzyl with Captain Andrukhin Dmitry Fedorovich and First Officer Babich Nikolay Ilyich in command. The weather at the time was normal, with only moderate turbulence, and some early morning fog in the lowlands. At 07:41, the crew told Krasnoyarsk ATC that the plane had reach an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) and was flying at 280 knots (520 km/h; 320 mph) (the maximum speed of the Lisunov Li-2 is 280 kilometres per hour (150 kn; 170 mph), wrong unit?). In response, the dispatcher instructed them to switch to communication with Kyzyl airport. The crew acknowledged receiving this information, which was the last radio transmission from the aircraft. After the latter transmission, several attempts to hail the aircraft were met with failure. At 07:45, the Li-2 crashed into a forested mountain slope at an altitude of 1,740 metres (5,710 ft). The aircraft was flying on a course of 240^o, and was descending at a steep angle whilst rolling left. All 31 passengers and crew were killed.^[2]

Investigation

Efforts to reach the crash site were hampered by a layer of snow up to two to three metres (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) thick, postponing activity until it melted. On June 1, the search got underway and scattered debris was found from the air 600 metres (660 yd) north of the crash site, including the left aileron and fairing, rudder, and the upper part of the keel. Part of the left end fairing sheathing was found 300 metres (330 yd) from the main crash site. Studying the wreckage, the investigators envisioned the following: flying through a pass, the craft got into a descending turbulent air stream and began to lose altitude. Acting on the controls, the pilots tried to pull the nose of the aircraft up, and due to the resulting high aerodynamic loads, the end fairing of the left wing collapsed. At the same time, on the right wing, the end fairing was deformed but did not separate. The separation of a part of the structure of the left wing immediately led to an imbalance in lift, so the aircraft turned sharply along the lift axis to the left, while lateral aerodynamic overloads appeared, as a result of which the rudder and part of the keel were separated. The airliner lost control and went into a fall.^[2]

During the investigation, it was noted that the wing showed no signs of damage, including corrosion and fatigue, that could have reduced the strength of the structure. The metal of the structure also met the requirements in terms of its quality. But at the same time, earlier in the course of the numerous static tests conducted, as well as during the operation of Li-2 aircraft, wing destruction was not revealed in the place where it happened with Flight 542. Only after a similar disaster that occurred on March 25, 1966, near Ramenskoye, which occurred for the same reason, did the commission came to the conclusion that the design of the left wing end fairing was unsafe ^[2]

References

^ "Lisunov Li-2 CCCP-54791 Aeroflot". russianplanes.net. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Aviation accidents, incidents and air crashes in the USSR and Russia". Retrieved September 9, 2021.

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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 1965 (1965)
Jan 4 Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20 Jan 16 USAF KC-135 Wichita crash Feb 6 LAN-Chile Flight 107 Feb 8 Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 Mar 7 Aeroflot Flight 542 Mar 8 Aeroflot Flight 513 Apr 14 British United Airways Flight 1030X May 5 Iberia Flight 401 May 20 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 Jun 28 Pan Am Flight 843 Jul 1 Continental Airlines Flight 12 Jul 6 Little Baldon Hastings crash Jul 8 Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 Jul 10 Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 Jul 20 Cambrian Airways Liverpool crash Jul 23 Allegheny Airlines Flight 604 Aug 16 United Air Lines Flight 389 Aug 24 Hong Kong US Marines KC-130F Crash Sep 17 Pan Am Flight 292 Sep 19 Gujarat Beechcraft incident Oct 20 Philippine Air Lines Flight 741 Nov 2 1965 Argentine Air Force C-54 disappearance Nov 8 American Airlines Flight 383 Nov 11 United Air Lines Flight 227 Nov 11 Aeroflot Flight 99 Dec 4 Carmel mid-air collision Dec 5 Philippine Sea A-4 incident
1964 ◄ ► 1966

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1965 (1965)

Jan 4

Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20

Jan 16

USAF KC-135 Wichita crash

Feb 6

LAN-Chile Flight 107

Feb 8

Eastern Air Lines Flight 663

Mar 7

Aeroflot Flight 542

Mar 8

Aeroflot Flight 513

Apr 14

British United Airways Flight 1030X

May 5

Iberia Flight 401

May 20

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705

Jun 28

Pan Am Flight 843

Jul 1

Continental Airlines Flight 12

Jul 6

Little Baldon Hastings crash

Jul 8

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21

Jul 10

Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748

Jul 20

Cambrian Airways Liverpool crash

Jul 23

Allegheny Airlines Flight 604

Aug 16

United Air Lines Flight 389

Aug 24

Hong Kong US Marines KC-130F Crash

Sep 17

Pan Am Flight 292

Sep 19

Gujarat Beechcraft incident

Oct 20

Philippine Air Lines Flight 741

Nov 2

1965 Argentine Air Force C-54 disappearance

Nov 8

American Airlines Flight 383

Nov 11

United Air Lines Flight 227

Nov 11

Aeroflot Flight 99

Dec 4

Carmel mid-air collision

Dec 5

Philippine Sea A-4 incident

1964 ◄ ► 1966

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