1974 EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crash

1974 EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crash

A Tupolev Tu-154 similar to SU-AXB
Accident
Date	10 July 1974 (1974-07-10)
Summary	Stalled due to manufacturing error
Site	Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt 30°06′07″N31°24′14″E / 30.102°N 31.404°E / 30.102; 31.404
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154
Aircraft name	Nefertiti
Operator	EgyptAir
Registration	SU-AXB
Flight origin	Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt
Destination	Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt (return flight)
Passengers	0
Crew	6
Fatalities	6
Survivors	0

The 1974 EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 July 1974, when an Egyptair Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft crashed during a training flight near Cairo International Airport. This resulted in the deaths of all six crew members on board.

Aircraft

The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-154 built at the Aviakor аviation plant. It was the first Tupolev Tu-154 delivered to EgyptAir, on 1 December 1973, and was named Nefertiti after the wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten. ^{[1] [2]}

Accident

The aircraft was performing a training flight at Cairo International Airport carrying a crew of six; two EgyptAir pilots and four Soviet instructors. ^[3] After three hours and 14 minutes, the aircraft performed a touch-and-go landing on the runway known as Runway 23. During the maneuver, the aircraft pitched-up before entering a stall. This caused the aircraft to crash into the ground at 17:30 local time. All six occupants died. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Investigation

Investigators determined that the pilot flying had applied too many pitch-up inputs, as well as incorrect center of gravity calculations. The shifting ballasts during the flight were also contributing factors. ^[5]

Aftermath

The following year, in 1975, EgyptAir returned its remaining Tupolev Tu-154s to the Soviet Union. ^[2] In the same year, during the production of the Tu-154B, systems for flap resynchronization and the rearrangement of stabilizers were installed to prevent any similar incidents. ^[7]

References

1. "Tu-154 c/n 73A048". Soviet Transport Database. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
2. "Авиакомпания: EgyptAir" [Airline: EgyptAir]. russianplanes.net (in Russian). Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
3. "Second Soviet plane crashes in Egypt." Times [London, England] 20 July 1974: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 7 March 2015.
4. "Хроника падающих Ту-154" [Chronicle of the falling Tu-154]. Gazeta.Ru (in Russian). 7 October 2001. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
5. "ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 154 SU-AXB Cairo". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
6. "Анализ расследований АП с Ту-154" (in Russian). AVIASAFETY.ru. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
7. "Советский и Российский лайнер Ту-154" [Soviet and Russian liner Tu-154]. poletim.net (in Russian). Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.