Alrosa Flight 514

Last updated

Alrosa Flight 514
Tupolev Tu-154 90A851, Moskva - Vnukovo RP7965.jpg
RA-85684, the Tu-154 involved, seen in June 2009
Accident
Date7 September 2010 (2010-09-07)
SummaryEmergency landing and runway overrun following total loss of electrical power
Site Izhma Airport, Russia
65°01′54″N53°58′12″E / 65.03167°N 53.97000°E / 65.03167; 53.97000
Aircraft
Aircraft type Tupolev Tu-154M
Operator Alrosa
Registration RA-85684
Flight origin Polyarny Airport, Udachny, Russia
Destination Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow, Russia
Occupants81
Passengers72
Crew9
Fatalities0
Injuries0
Survivors81

Alrosa Flight 514 was a Tupolev Tu-154 passenger jet on a domestic scheduled flight from Udachny to Moscow, Russia, that on 7 September 2010 made a successful emergency landing at a remote airstrip after suffering an in-flight total electrical failure. All 81 people on board escaped unharmed.

Contents

The Tupolev was en route at cruise altitude when the failure occurred, which disabled the fuel system and all navigational and radio equipment, meaning that the aircraft would not have been able to reach its destination. The crew decided to attempt an emergency landing at the disused Izhma Airport. The aircraft overran the end of the runway and came to rest among the vegetation, damaged but still on its landing gear.

The crew of Flight 514 were subsequently decorated for their actions, and the aircraft was successfully repaired and flown out of the airfield to resume service with Alrosa. [1]

Accident

Flight 514 was over Usinsk, [2] at an altitude of 10,600 metres (34,800 ft) (FL 348) when the first signs of a problem were noticed at about 06:59 local time (02:59 UTC). Shortly after, the aircraft suffered a complete failure of the electrical system, which resulted in the loss of navigational systems and electric fuel pumps. [3] The loss of the pumps prevented the transfer of fuel from the wing tanks to the engine supply tank in the fuselage, [4] leaving the aircraft with only 3,300 kilograms (7,300 lb) of usable fuel, [2] enough for 30 minutes of flight. [5]

At about 07:47, the emergency authorities at Izhma were informed that the aircraft could make an emergency landing at the local airport. Izhma Airport is a former airfield that is now used only for helicopters, [3] and the 1,325-metre-long (4,347 ft) runway is closed but not abandoned. [3] [4] The airfield, having closed to fixed-wing aircraft in 2003, [5] was no longer marked on aeronautical charts. [6]

The passengers were moved to the front of the aircraft. The electrical failure also caused a loss of the radio system, flaps and slats. [2] Two attempts to land were aborted. On the third attempt, [4] a successful emergency landing was made at 07:55 local time. [3] The aircraft overran the runway by 160 metres (520 ft), [2] and sustained some damage in the process. The aircraft landed at a speed of 350 to 380 kilometres per hour (190 to 210 kn; 220 to 240 mph), faster than normal, due to the lack of flaps. Although the flaps are powered by hydraulics, the switches operating them are electrical. [3] All nine crew and 72 passengers evacuated using the aircraft's evacuation slides. No injuries were reported. [3]

Aircraft

The aircraft operating the flight was a tri-jet Tupolev Tu-154M with registration RA-85684 and serial number 90A-851. It was built in 1990. [4]

Aftermath

After evacuating the aircraft and while awaiting rescue, some of the passengers searched for mushrooms, a popular pastime in Russia. [6] The survivors were temporarily housed in a sports complex at Izhma, due to a lack of hotel space locally. [7] They were later flown by Mil Mi-8 helicopter to Ukhta Airport, [8] where a replacement Tupolev Tu-154 flew them on to Moscow. Two passengers decided to continue their journey by rail instead. [3] The passengers of Flight 514 called for the flight crew to be honoured for their actions. [2] The crew remained in Ukhta to assist authorities with their investigation into the accident. [9] The successful emergency landing was hailed as a miracle by Russian aviation experts. [2] Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin met the crew and thanked them for their "heroic, decisive and professional actions" in the accident. He also paid tribute to their courage. [3]

Awards

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (center) receiving the crew of Flight 514 at the Kremlin on 16 November 2010 Crew of Alrosa Flight 514 (Izhma accident) 16 nov 2010 Kremlin.jpg
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (center) receiving the crew of Flight 514 at the Kremlin on 16 November 2010

The pilots of Flight 514, Captain Yevgeny Novoselov and First Officer Andrei Lamanov, [10] were made Heroes of the Russian Federation. The other seven crew members were awarded the Order of Courage. [11] The order awarding the decorations was signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. [10]

The landing could only be successful because the airport superior, Sergey Sotnikov, even after the airport was closed to traffic in 2003, was keeping the landing strip free of trees and bushes. Sotnikov was later decorated by the President of Russia. [12]

Investigation

Russian authorities launched an investigation into the accident. A preliminary report was expected to be published after 10 days. [2] On 14 September 2010, the report indicated that the batteries had self-overheated, suffering a thermal runaway. This affected the entire electrical system, navigation system and radio system. [3]

Return to service

The aircraft suffered considerable damage during the runway excursion, but after an assessment by aircraft manufacturer Tupolev, Alrosa decided that it could be repaired and returned to service. After having two of its three engines replaced, the Tu-154 was stripped of all unnecessary weight and loaded with the minimal necessary amount of fuel. Test pilots from the Russian State Scientific Research Institute of Civil Aviation (GosNII GA) were selected to fly the jet out of the airfield. [1] [13]

RA-85684 in May 2018, four months before its retirement Alrosa, RA-85684, Tupolev Tu-154M (41408271064).jpg
RA-85684 in May 2018, four months before its retirement

On 24 March 2011, six months after the incident, the jet successfully took off from Izhma to fly 160 kilometres (100 mi) to Ukhta Airport for refuelling and inspection, and then on to Samara Airport for further repairs. Despite the Tu-154 normally requiring around 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) of runway to take-off, [5] the RA-85684 managed to lift off after only 800 metres (2,600 ft), well within Izhma's 1,300-metre (4,300 ft) runway. [1] [14]

Repair work was completed in June 2011, after which RA-85684, having been given the name Izhma, resumed regular service with Alrosa. It remained in service until September 2018, when its certificate of airworthiness expired and the airline considered its renewal uneconomical. [15]

On 29 September 2018, Izhma was flown for the last time from Mirny Airport, Alrosa's base, to Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport in Siberia, to become part of the collection of the local aviation museum. Lamanov, the first officer on the accident flight, was at the controls as pilot in command, and was met on arrival on the ground by captain Novoselov. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-104</span> Former Soviet airliner

The Tupolev Tu-104 is a retired medium-range, narrow-body, twin turbojet-powered Soviet airliner. It was the second to enter regular service, behind the British de Havilland Comet and was the only jetliner operating in the world from 1956 to 1958, when the British jetliner was grounded due to safety concerns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-204</span> Airliner by Tupolev

The Tupolev Tu-204 is a twin-engined medium-range narrow-body jet airliner capable of carrying 210 passengers, designed by Tupolev and produced by Aviastar-SP and Kazan Aircraft Production Association. First introduced in 1989, it was intended to be broadly equivalent to the Boeing 757, with slightly lower range and payload, and had competitive performance and fuel efficiency in its class. It was developed for Aeroflot as a replacement for the medium-range Tupolev Tu-154 trijet. The latest version, with significant upgrades and improvements, is the Tu-204SM, which made its maiden flight on 29 December 2010. In April 2022, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) announced plans to assemble 70 Tu-214s by 2030.

Aviastar-TU Airlines is a Russian cargo charter airline which operates principally out of Ramenskoye Airport in Moscow, Russia. Its headquarters is located in Zhukovsky, Moscow Oblast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Izhma Airport</span> Airport in Komi, Russia

Izhma Airport was an airport in Komi, Russia located 3 km northeast of Izhma. It formerly handled small aircraft but was closed to airliners in 2003 and is now only used for helicopters.

CJSC "Air Company ALROSA", formerly Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise is an airline from Mirny, Russia. Its bases are at Mirny Airport and Polyarny Airport, with a focus city at Lensk Airport. The airline operates scheduled and chartered domestic flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 3352</span> 1984 plane crash in Omsk, Russia

Aeroflot Flight 3352 was a regularly scheduled Aeroflot flight from Krasnodar to Novosibirsk, with an intermediate landing in Omsk. While landing at Omsk Airport on Thursday, 11 October 1984, the aircraft crashed into maintenance vehicles on the runway, killing 174 people on board and four on the ground. While a chain of mistakes in airport operations contributed to the accident, its major cause was an air traffic controller falling asleep on duty. As of 2022, this remains the deadliest aviation accident on Russian territory. It was also the deadliest aviation accident involving a Tupolev Tu-154 at the time until the crash of Aeroflot Flight 5143 nine months later; as of 2023, it still ranks as the second-deadliest accident involving a Tupolev Tu-154. The tragedy was kept secret for twenty years, until Komsomolskaya Pravda published an article in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taban Air Flight 6437</span> 2010 aviation accident

Taban Air Flight 6437 was a scheduled domestic flight that crashed on landing at Mashhad, Iran on 24 January 2010. All 170 people escaped from the burning aircraft without loss of life. Most of the passengers were pilgrims returning from visiting holy sites in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviastar-TU Flight 1906</span> 2010 aviation accident

Aviastar-TU Flight 1906 was a Tupolev Tu-204 that crashed while attempting to land at Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow, Russia, in heavy fog on 22 March 2010. The aircraft was on a ferry flight from Hurghada International Airport, Egypt to Moscow, and had no passengers on board; all eight crew survived the accident, four with serious injuries requiring hospitalization and four with minor injuries. The accident was the first hull loss of a Tu-204 and the first hull loss for Aviastar-TU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crash</span>

On 2 December 1977, a Tupolev Tu-154 passenger jet ran out of fuel and crashed near Benghazi, Libya. A total of 59 passengers were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vnukovo Airlines</span> Russian airline

Vnukovo Airlines was a Russian airline which had its corporate headquarters at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. It was created as a spin-off from the Vnukovo Airport division of Aeroflot in March 1993 and operated until 2001, when it was bought by Siberian Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dagestan Airlines Flight 372</span> 2010 aviation accident

Dagestan Airlines Flight 372 was a scheduled commercial flight between Moscow's Vnukovo Airport and Makhachkala, Russia. On 4 December 2010, the Tupolev Tu-154 operating the flight skidded off the runway following an emergency landing at Domodedovo Airport, 45 km south-east of Vnukovo. Two people on board were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolavia Flight 348</span> 2011 aviation incident

On 1 January 2011, Kolavia Flight 348, a Tupolev Tu-154 on a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Surgut to Moscow, Russia, caught fire while taxiing out for take-off. Passengers were evacuated, but three were killed and 43 injured. A subsequent investigation concluded that the fire had started in an electric panel for which maintenance was never prescribed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Wings Airlines Flight 9268</span> 2012 aviation accident

Red Wings Airlines Flight 9268 was a Tupolev Tu-204-100 passenger jet that on 29 December 2012 crashed on landing at Moscow Vnukovo Airport, Russia, following a repositioning flight from Pardubice Airport, Czech Republic. There were no passengers on board, but 5 of the 8 crew members were killed when the aircraft hit a ditch and highway structures after overrunning the runway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 964</span> October 1973 Tupolev Tu-104 crash in Moscow

Aeroflot Flight 964 was a flight operated by Aeroflot from Kutaisi Airport, Georgia to Domodedovo Airport, Moscow, Russian SFSR. On 13 October 1973, the Tupolev Tu-104 operating on the route crashed during its approach to Moscow, killing all 122 passengers and crew on board. It remains the deadliest accident involving a Tupolev Tu-104.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 3739 (1976)</span> 1976 plane crash during takeoff in Irkutsk, Russia

Aeroflot Flight 3739 was a regularly scheduled Russian domestic flight from Irkutsk to Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg that crashed during takeoff from Irkutsk International Airport on 9 February 1976. Twenty-four of the 114 people on board died in the accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 1912</span> 1971 aviation accident in the Soviet Union

Aeroflot Flight 1912 was a scheduled domestic Aeroflot passenger flight on the Odessa-Kiev (Kyiv)-Chelyabinsk-Novosibirsk-Irkutsk-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok route that crashed on 25 July 1971, making a hard landing at Irkutsk Airport. It touched down 150 metres (490 ft) short of the runway, breaking the left wing and catching fire. Of the 126 people on board the aircraft, 29 survived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crash</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siberia Airlines Flight 852</span>

On 14 January 2002, Siberia Airlines Flight 852 suffered a dual engine flameout and made an emergency landing in Novosibirsk, Russia. The aircraft overran the runway and was substantially damaged, but there were no injuries.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kaminski-Morrow, David (23 March 2010). "VIDEO: Test pilots extract stranded Alrosa Tu-154" . Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Аварийная посадка в Коми: у самолета отказало всё оборудование (in Russian). Vesti. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hradecky, Simon (7 September 2010). "Accident: Alrosa Mirny T154 at Izhma on September 7, 2010, loss of electrics and landing on helicopter platform". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "RA-85684 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Следствие опечатает самолет в Ижме (in Russian). Komi. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Pilots Called Heroes After Crash Landing". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  7. ↑ В Коми аварийно сел Ту-154 (in Russian). Lenta. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "Tu-154 flying from Yakutia to Moscow makes emergency landing". News BCM. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  9. ↑ "Alrosa Tu-154 overruns after emergency landing in Russia". Flight International. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Executive order awarding state decorations to the crew of a Tu-154 plane for courage and heroism". The Kremlin. 8 October 2010. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "Pilots who made crash landing in taiga decorated as Heroes of Russia". Voice of Russia. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  12. ↑ Карпов, Алексей (23 December 2010). Начальник ижемской вертолетной площадки Сергей Сотников остался доволен общением с Путиным (in Russian). ИА Комиинформ. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "Pilots to attempt flying 'miracle' crash plane". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 September 2010. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  14. ↑ Nilsen, Thomas (29 March 2011). "Exceptional take off". BarentsObserver. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "Туполев Ту-154М Бортовой №: RA-85684" (in Russian). Russianplanes.net. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  16. ↑ Zharkov, Andrey (2 October 2018). "Самолет Ту-154М "Ижма" установлен в музее аэропорта "Толмачёво"". Aviation Explorer (in Russian). Retrieved 18 August 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.