Aeroflot accidents and incidents

Founded in 1923, Aeroflot, the flag carrier and largest airline of Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), has had a high number of fatal crashes, with a total of 8,231 passengers dying in Aeroflot crashes according to the Aircraft Crashes Record Office, mostly during the Soviet era, about five times more than any other airline.^[1][2] From 1946 to 1989, the carrier was involved in 721 incidents. From 1995 to 2017, the carrier was involved in 10 incidents. In 2013, AirlineRatings.com reported that five of the ten aircraft models involved in the highest numbers of fatal accidents^[3] were old Soviet models.^[1]

Aviation columnist Patrick Smith stated that Aeroflot's raw crash totals including the Soviet Union era may not give a total picture of the airline's safety record, because the airline was divided into pieces after the conclusion of the Soviet era; according to Smith, the size of Aeroflot's Soviet era operation was the equivalent of all of the large airlines in the United States at the time combined.^[4] In the Soviet Union, there was only one airline, that being Aeroflot.^[1]

Following is a list of accidents and incidents Aeroflot experienced from 1932 to the present.

Date	Location	Aircraft	Tail number	Airline division	Aircraft damage	Fatalities	Description	Refs
23 February 1932	Nizhne-Tambov	PS-5	СССР-Л718	Far East	W/O	16/16	The aircraft was operating a Okha–Nikolaevsk-on-Amur–Nizhne-Tambov–Khabarovsk passenger service. On takeoff from Ohka en route to Nikolaevsk-na-Amur, the aircraft was already overloaded by 336 kg (741 lb) and another 226 kg (498 lb) was added at Nikolaevsk-na-Amur. The now severely overloaded aircraft took off for Nizhne-Tambov. After passing over Sukhanovka at 30–50 m (98–164 ft) and following the Amur River, the aircraft was forced to fly low due to poor visibility and bad weather. While descending for Nizhne-Tambov at 50 m (164 ft), the right wing separated. Control was lost and the aircraft entered a descending clockwise spiral and crashed upside down on the frozen Amur River. During a 1931 overhaul for conversion to an airliner, the right wing was improperly repaired.	[5]
10 May 1932	Moscow	ANT-9	СССР-Л128	Un­known	W/O	4/11	The aircraft took off from Frunze Central Aerodrome for a test flight. While cruising at 900 m (3,000 ft), the mechanic informed the pilot of an oil leak on the right engine. The pilot began descending and decided to divert to Oktyabrskoye Airfield. On approach, at 125 m (410 ft) and flying at 120 km/h (75 mph) with both remaining engines at full power, the aircraft rolled to the right, stalled and crashed in a forest. The oil leak was caused by a failed hydraulic pump.	[6]
8 February 1933	Goychay	K-5	СССР-Л481	Transcaucasian	W/O	4/5	The aircraft was operating a Baku-Tiflis (now Tbilisi) passenger service. En route to Ganzhda and Yevlakh the pilot encountered poor visibility due to fog. He descended to maintain visual contact with the ground and followed a rail line. While approaching Goychay at below 30 m (98 ft), the pilot realized that he was facing trees and began a sharp right turn when the aircraft hit trees, partially tearing off the right wing and the aircraft crashed.	[7]
15 February 1933	Moscow Region	K-5	СССР-Л455	Moscow Department of Air Lines	W/O	2/2	The aircraft was operating a Moscow-Kharkiv mail flight. Approaching Podolsk, the weather deteriorated and the pilot decided to return to Moscow, but the weather was also poor there. During the approach, at 110–120 m (360–390 ft), the aircraft struck an antenna, partially tearing off the right wing. Control was lost and the aircraft descended and crashed 65 m (213 ft) further on.	[8]
11 May 1933	Kontuganovo	K-5	СССР-Л463	Moscow Department of Air Lines	W/O	1/4	The aircraft was operating a Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg)-Yanaul-Kazan passenger service. While cruising at 800 m (2,600 ft), the weather worsened with snow showers, although the weather forecast called for rain. The pilot descended to 300 m (980 ft) and encountered blizzard conditions. The pilot later decided on an emergency landing near Kontuganovo. While circling at 50 m (160 ft), the left wing struck a tall tree and the aircraft crashed. The pilot died of his injuries a few hours later.	[9]
5 September 1933	Poldasnya	R-6 Limuzin	СССР-J5	Un­known	W/O	8/8	The aircraft was operating a charter flight from Moscow to Feodosia. En route, the aircraft encountered bad weather. Because of the low visibility, the pilot descended to establish a visual reference with the ground, but the aircraft struck a tree and crashed.	[10]
17 November 1933	Bataysk	K-5	СССР-Л406	Un­known	W/O	3/3	Shortly after takeoff, the crew encountered engine problems and the aircraft climbed to 70 m (230 ft) before beginning a descent. The pilot attempted to find a spot for a forced landing but the aircraft nosed down and crashed and caught fire. The cause of the engine problem was not determined, but a faulty carburetor was blamed and the loss of control was caused by pilot error. The aircraft was operating a training flight.	[11]
27 July 1934	Balkhash	ANT-9	СССР-Л130	Kazakh	W/O	10/10	The aircraft was operating an Alma-Ata (now Almaty)-Karaganda-Taldykorgan-Balkhash passenger service. On approach to Taldykorgan, the pilot made a series of mistakes and violations and landed the aircraft in a crosswind and the aircraft touched down on one landing gear. A go-around was made and the aircraft landed safely. Approaching Balkhash, the winds picked up. The aircraft lost altitude and touched the ground with the left wing and then hit the ground first with the nose and left engine and then the right engine and right wing. breaking off both engines. The aircraft spun around and came to rest 3 m (9.8 ft) from the first impact site. The fuselage broke in two on impact.	[12]
15 August 1934	Irkutsk	SM.62bis	СССР-Х2	East Siberia	W/O	6/7	The aircraft was operating a Irkutsk-Bodaibo passenger service. On the Angara River, the aircraft traveled 100 m (328 ft) and made a 180 degree turn to begin the takeoff. The aircraft rotated and took off despite insufficient speed. Achieving a nose-up attitude, the aircraft struck a two-story house, tearing off the floats after which it stalled and crashed at Transportnaya street; the sole survivor was seriously injured. The aircraft was too close to Irkutsk and the takeoff speed too low.	[13]
4 September 1934	Olga Bay	S.55P	СССР-Л997	Far East	W/O	2/13	Following a series of reconnaissance missions over the eastern portion of Primorsky Krai, the crew prepared to return to Vladivostok. Twenty minutes after takeoff, the crew decided to return to refuel. Landing at 140–150 km/h (87–93 mph), the right float struck an object in the water, nearly tearing it off. Water entered the fuselage and the aircraft broke in three and came to rest. The ship Dvinoles rescued all but two passengers.	[14]
26 June 1935	Lazarev	S.55P	СССР-Л840	Far East	W/O	12/12	Struck a mountain while flying too low after the pilot became disorientated. The aircraft was operating a Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky–Khabarovsk passenger service. Wreckage found in September 1935 and located again in August 1985. A 2015-2016 expedition to the crash site found skeletal remains and these were buried in a Khabarovsk cemetery in 2016.	[15]
21 June 1936	Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalin	S.55P	СССР-Л996	Far East	W/O	1/7	The aircraft was due to begin a Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalin–Viakhtu–Khabarovsk passenger service. The takeoff was delayed several times due to swells and strong winds. The crew also noted floating logs in the water. That evening, when the weather cleared up, the crew decided to take off in a headwind. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft struck floating logs, partially tearing off both floats, nosed down and crashed in the water. One passenger drowned while six others were quickly rescued.	[16]
27 July 1936	Kulab	ANT-9	СССР-Л192	Uzbek-Tajik	W/O	6/6	The aircraft was completing a Stalinabad (now Dushanbe)-Kulab passenger service. Following a downwind leg to Kulob Airport, while flying over the runway at 10 m (33 ft), the pilot performed a go-around. The aircraft climbed to 30 m (98 ft) in a nose-up attitude, then stalled and crashed and burned out. Pilot error was blamed.	[17]
4 August 1936	Malmyzh	ANT-7	СССР-Л2122	Far East	W/O	6/10	The aircraft was operating a Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky–Nizhnetambovskoye–Khabarovsk passenger service. The crew did not receive any weather bulletins for the route and destination before takeoff. Several instruments, such as the variometer, path finder and artificial horizon also did not work. Passing over Komsomolsk, the weather deteriorated with low clouds, forcing the pilot to descend to 150 m (490 ft). Later, storms forced the pilot to descend further and eventually decided to land on the Amur River. On final approach the pilot noticed an island and began a sharp left turn when the left float struck the water. The aircraft cartwheeled and crashed in the river off Malmyzh.	[18]
10 February 1937	Chechen-Ingush ASSR	ANT-9	CCCP-Л167	Transcaucasian	W/O	1/2	The aircraft was being ferried from Tbilisi to Moscow for repairs. Despite low clouds, the aircraft took off for Grozny. Low clouds forced the pilot to fly low and just before reaching Grozny, the aircraft entered fog. The pilot turned around to exit the fog and after leaving the fog he turned around again to fly to Mineralnye Vody, although he had permission to only fly to Grozny. The aircraft again entered fog and was able to climb out, but the crew noticed that the instruments were failing. Realizing that flying blind was impossible, the pilot began a gentle descent. Distracted with monitoring instruments, the pilot did not realize that the aircraft was approaching the ground and it crashed into the top of a low ridge.	[19]
27 June 1937	Zaporozhye Airport	ANT-9	CCCP-Л176	Moscow	W/O	11	Collided on the runway with a PL-5 during takeoff. The PL-5 departed the airport for Moscow. A few minutes later for reasons unknown, the PL-5 decided to return. Meanwhile, the ANT-9 was preparing for the second leg of a Simferopol-Zaporozhye-Moscow passenger service. The PL-5 then decided to land for unknown reasons without ATC permission while the ANT-9 began takeoff on the same runway, also without ATC permission. Both aircraft collided.	[20]
		PL-5	CCCP-И93	Un­known	W/O
6 August 1937	Herina	DC-2-152	URSS-M25	International	W/O	6/6	Crashed after a passenger lit a cigarette in the toilet, where avgas fumes had accumulated. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled Prague–Cluj–Moscow passenger service.	[21]
12 November 1937	Chardzhou	PS-9	CCCP-Л163	Turkmenistan	W/O	11/11	Four to five minutes after an uneventful takeoff, at 400–500 m (1,300–1,600 ft), the right engine quit. The aircraft began to turn right and the pilot corrected it. The pilot decided to return to Chardzhou (now Türkmenabat) and performed a left turn. Concerned that the aircraft might not reach the airport, the pilot performed a right turn, but because the right engine was not working, this caused a loss of control. The aircraft entered a dive at 150–200 m (490–660 ft) and crashed and burned out; the engine failure was probably caused by improper maintenance. The aircraft was operating a Chardzhou–Urgench passenger service.	[22]
9 April 1938	Shaki	PS-9	СССР-Л190	Transcaucasian	W/O	3/3	While approaching Shaki inbound from Yevlakh during a cargo flight, the aircraft entered fog. The pilot decided to return but the aircraft crashed on the side of a mountain.	[23]
18 May 1938	Arkhangelsk	G-1	СССР-Н122	Un­known	W/O	4/16	Spiraled out of control and crashed in the Dvina River following engine failure. The aircraft was operating a survey flight.	[24]
17 August 1938	Lake Onega	MP-1bis	СССР-Л2550	Northern	W/O	7/7	Lost control and crashed in Lake Onega near Suisarri Island. The aircraft was operating a Shunga-Petrozavodsk passenger service.	[25]

• On 21 September 2001, Ilyushin Il-86 (RA-86074) landed gear-up at Dubai Airport due to pilot error; all 322 passengers and crew survived, but the aircraft was written off. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled Moscow-Dubai passenger service as Flight 521.^[26]
• On 30 June 2008, Tupolev Tu-154M (RA-85667) suffered an uncontained engine failure on takeoff from Pulkovo Airport en route to Moscow as Flight 846; all 112 passengers and crew survived, but the aircraft was written off and was parked at Pulkovo Airport where it was broken up in August 2009.^[27] This accident led Aeroflot to retire the Tu-154 from service beginning in late 2008 and completely retired all Tu-154s by 2010 and replaced them with Airbus A320 family aircraft.^[28]
• On 14 September 2008, Aeroflot Flight 821 operated by Aeroflot-Nord in a service agreement with Aeroflot as its subsidiary, crashed on approach to Perm Airport, Russia due to pilot error. All 88 people on board; including 6 crew members and 82 passengers, were killed in the crash.^[29]
• On 3 June 2009, Boeing 737-500 (VP-BXM) suffered severe damage by a hailstorm while on approach to Simferopol en route from Moscow. The aircraft was written off and stored at Simferopol (with engines removed) where it was last seen in August 2011.^[30]

• On 3 June 2014, Ilyushin Il-96 RA-96010 was damaged beyond economical repair in a fire while parked at Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow.^[31][32][33]
• On 3 January 2017, Airbus A321 VP-BES overran the runway on landing at Khrabrovo Airport, causing the nosegear to collapse; the aircraft, operating a Moscow–Kaliningrad service as Flight 1008, suffered minor damage.^[34]
• On 5 May 2019, Sukhoi Superjet 100 RA-89098 operating a Moscow-Murmansk service as Flight 1492 suffered an in-flight emergency and subsequently caught fire during an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo International Airport, where it burned out. 41 of the 78 people on board were reported dead.^[35]

• On 1 August 2020, a fuel truck hit the nose of a parked Airbus A321-211 at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, Russia, crushing the driver's cabin and seriously damaging the nose of the aircraft.^[36]

• Transport in the Soviet Union