Aeroflot Flight 164

Aeroflot Flight 164

An Ilyushin Il-14 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	7 September 1958 (1958-09-07)
Summary	Loss of control following lightning strike
Site	4 km SSE of Konstantinovka, Martuk District, Aktobe Region, Kazakh SSR 50°26′N56°07′E / 50.433°N 56.117°E / 50.433; 56.117
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Ilyushin Il-14P
Operator	Aeroflot
Registration	СССР-Л1692
Flight origin	Frunze Airport, Frunze
Stopover	Aktyubinsk Airport, Aktyubinsk
Destination	Vnukovo Airport, Moscow
Passengers	22
Crew	5
Fatalities	27
Survivors	0

Aeroflot Flight 164 was a fatal aviation accident involving an Ilyushin Il-14P that occurred on 7 September 1958 in the Martuk District of the Aktobe Region, Kazakhstan. All 27 people on board were killed in the crash.

Aircraft

The Ilyushin Il-14P, tail number CCCP-Л1692 (factory number 7342304, serial number 23-04), was manufactured at the Tashkent Aviation Plant on 18 January 1957. It was subsequently transferred to the Main Directorate of Civil Air Fleet under the Council of Ministers of the USSR and assigned to the Kyrgyz Independent Air Group of the Civil Air Fleet. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated a total flight time of 2,564 hours. ^{[1] [2]}

Accident

The aircraft was operating Aeroflot Flight 164 from Frunze (now Bishkek) to Moscow. The crew consisted of Captain Ivan Ignatievich Shinkarsky, First Officer Nikolai Grigoryevich Ryabov, Flight Engineer Andrey Petrovich Evich, and Radio Operator Alexander Gavrilovich Kositsin. The cabin was attended by flight attendant Vera Vasilyevna Shulga.

At 02:10 Moscow Time (MSK), the aircraft made an intermediate stop at Aktyubinsk (now Aktobe) for refueling. It departed at 02:55 on a magnetic course of 127° and soon reached an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). On board were 22 passengers (18 adults and 4 children) and 402 kilograms (886 lb) of cargo, consisting of magnetic starters. According to the weather forecast provided to the crew, the route from Aktyubinsk to Uralsk was expected to have 6–9 oktas of stratus clouds at altitudes of 600–1,000 metres (2,000–3,300 ft), rain, and visibility of 4–10 kilometres (2.5–6.2 mi). ^[1]

At 03:04, the captain reported to the airport dispatcher that the aircraft had reached 1,500 metres and was leaving the airport’s air zone. At 03:05, communication was established with the Regional Dispatch Center (RDC). At 03:07, the crew contacted Aktobe Airport again and requested their bearing, which was given as 274°, indicating that the aircraft was on course and 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Aktobe. At 03:11, the crew requested the actual weather conditions in Uralsk. The dispatcher reported 10-okta stratus cloud cover at 300–600 metres (980–1,970 ft), intermittent rain, and visibility of 4–10 kilometres (2.5–6.2 mi). At 03:14, the dispatcher asked for confirmation of altitude and flight conditions, to which the crew replied: "1,500 metres, visual, communication with RDC established." At 03:23, the dispatcher attempted to contact the aircraft again, but there was no response, and its signal disappeared from radar. At the same time, unusually strong radar reflections indicated powerful thunderstorms in the area. ^[1]

Meteorological data from the Novoalekseyevka station, located 45 kilometres (28 mi) southwest of the route, confirmed thunderstorms to the east, near the flight path. Multiple witnesses also reported a thunderstorm in the area. While flying at night, the Il-14 encountered severe weather and was struck by lightning on its left side. According to eyewitnesses, the lightning entered through a hatch near the control cables for the left aileron, severing and melting them. The electrical discharge likely reached the cockpit, possibly incapacitating the crew. The aircraft then lost control, descending in a left turn with a slip on the right wing while the engines continued running.

At approximately 03:18 MSK, the aircraft, banked about 60° to the left, struck the ground with its right wing in the Martuk District of the Aktobe Region, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the flight path, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-southeast of Konstantinovka, and 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Aktobe. The aircraft exploded on impact, scattering debris over 450–520 metres (1,480–1,710 ft). All 27 occupants were killed. ^[1] The crew members of the ill-fated flight 164 were buried at the Northern Cemetery in Frunze (Bishkek) on 16 August 2022.^{[ citation needed ]}

Causes

According to the commission's findings, the accident was caused by a lightning strike on the aircraft. This conclusion was supported by the following evidence: ^[1]

1. Thunderstorm activity was present in the flight zone.
2. The left aileron control cables were burned and severed as a result of concentrated exposure to high temperatures. Aircraft components located 10–15 centimetres away from the burn site showed no signs of thermal damage.
3. The crew did not have time to transmit a distress signal.
4. The aircraft's descent was rapid, uncontrolled, and occurred at high speed.
5. The crew did not employ equipment intended to assist in an emergency landing at night (such as the PAR-8, lights, or flares).
6. Witnesses, including two shepherds, reported seeing a flash near the aircraft followed by its uncontrolled descent.

The commission identified the following shortcomings and individuals as contributing factors to the accident: ^[1]

1. The staff of the Aktobe Airport meteorological station, for failing to indicate thunderstorms in the weather forecast.
2. The observer at the Novoalekseyevka meteorological station, who noted the thunderstorm but did not report it to the Aktobe meteorological station as required.
3. The flight director, for insufficient attention to the study of meteorological conditions and inadequate monitoring of the aircraft's progress.

References

1. "Катастрофа Ил-14П Киргизской ОАГ ГВФ в Актюбинской области". airdisaster.ru. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
2. "Il-14P c/n 7342304". Soviet Transport Database. Dutch Aviation Society. Retrieved 18 January 2025.