Aeroflot Flight 418

Aeroflot Flight 418

An Aeroflot Tu-154, similar to the one involved in the accident.
Accident
Date	1 June 1976 (1976-06-01)
Summary	Inconclusive (possibly due to radar failure)
Site	Mount San Carlos, Bioko, Equatorial Guinea 3°30′N8°42′E / 3.500°N 8.700°E / 3.500; 8.700
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154A
Operator	Aeroflot
Registration	CCCP-85102
Flight origin	Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Angola
Stopover	Malabo International Airport, Bioko, Equatorial Guinea
1st stopover	N'Djamena International Airport, Chad
Last stopover	Tripoli International Airport, Libya
Destination	Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Soviet Union
Occupants	46
Passengers	42
Crew	4
Fatalities	46
Survivors	0

Aeroflot Flight 418 was an international passenger flight from Luanda to Moscow Sheremetyevo with three intermediate stops. On 1 June 1976, the Tupolev Tu-154A (CCCP-85102) operating the first leg of the flight, collided with Mount San Carlos of Bioko Island while en route. All 46 occupants onboard were killed as a result of the crash.

An investigation made by the commission was unable to conclude the cause of the crash but stated that the crash was due to radar failure onboard the aircraft. ^[1]

Aircraft

The aircraft, a Tu-154A, MSN 75A102, was manufactured at the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant, Samara, in 1975 for Aeroflot. It operated for the International Civil Aviation Directorate as CCCP-85102. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated 2,119 hours and 1,069 cycles. ^[1]

Passengers

According to press reports, the 36 passengers had the following nationalities: ^{[2] [3]}

• 32 Angolans, 20 plausibly wounded soldiers(?) ^[2] (33 according to a source) ^[4]
• One Hungarian
• Three Soviets

Description

The aircraft was en route from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport to Malabo International Airport when it struck a mountain 750 metres (2,460 ft) high at Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. ^[5] All 42 passengers and 4 crew perished. ^{[6] [7]}

Investigation

The cause of the accident could not be determined, but the investigation commission suspected a possible failure of the MSRP-12 radar on the aircraft may have led the crew to be unaware of their position.^{[ citation needed ]}

See also

• Africa portal
• 1970s portal
• Soviet Union portal
• Aviation portal

• Aeroflot accidents and incidents
• Aeroflot accidents and incidents in the 1970s

References

1. "Crash of a Tupolev TU-154A near Malabo: 45 killed | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
2. "Missing Soviet jetliner down in West Africa". The Associated Press . The Register-Guard. 4 June 1976. p. 3A. Retrieved 26 March 2025– via Google News Archive.
3. "Soviet Jet Crashes; 46 Aboard". The Associated Press . The Press-Courier. 4 June 1976. p. 3. Retrieved 26 March 2025– via Google News Archive.
4. "Wreckage Of Missing Jet Reported Found In Equatorial Guinea". Reuters . Toledo Blade. 16 June 1976. p. 27. Retrieved 26 March 2025– via Google News Archive.
5. Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 7 September 2011.
6. "Aeroflot known accident record 1966–76". Flight International : 1695. 11 December 1976. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
7. "Public-transport accidents". Flight International: 1547. 12 June 1976. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012. An Aeroflot Tu-154 is missing on a flight from Luanda to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, as we go to press. It is reported to be carrying a total of 46 crew and passengers.