Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514

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Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514
Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Tupolev Tu-154M.jpg
RA-85684, the aircraft involved
Accident
Date7 September 2010
SummaryIn-flight loss of electrical system
Site Izhma Airport
65°01′54″N53°58′12″E / 65.03167°N 53.97000°E / 65.03167; 53.97000 Coordinates: 65°01′54″N53°58′12″E / 65.03167°N 53.97000°E / 65.03167; 53.97000
Aircraft
Aircraft type Tupolev Tu-154M
Aircraft nameIzhma
Operator Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise
Registration RA-85684
Flight origin Polyarny Airport, Udachny
Destination Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow
Passengers72
Crew9
Fatalities0
Injuries0
Survivors81 (all)

Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Udachny, Russia, to Moscow. On 7 September 2010, the Tupolev Tu-154M RA-85684 aircraft suffered a complete electrical failure en route, leading to a loss of navigational systems. The electrically operated fuel transfer pumps were also affected, meaning that the aircraft was unable to reach its intended destination. An emergency landing was carried out at the closed Izhma Airport. The aircraft overran the disused runway on landing and was damaged. [1] All nine crew and 72 passengers escaped unharmed. The crew of Flight 514 were decorated for their actions in the accident.

Udachny Town under district jurisdiction in Sakha Republic, Russia

Udachny is a town in Mirninsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Markha River, 508 kilometers (316 mi) from Mirny, the administrative center of the district. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 12,613.

Izhma Airport 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.

Contents

Accident

Flight 514 was over Usinsk, [1] [2] at an altitude of 10,600 m (FL 348) when the first signs of a problem were noticed at about 06:59 local time (02:59 UTC). Later, a complete loss of electrical systems occurred, which resulted in the loss of navigational systems and the loss of electric fuel pumps, [1] [3] leaving the aircraft with just 3,300 kilograms (7,300 lb) of usable fuel, [2] enough for just 30 minutes flight. [4] The loss of the electrically driven pumps prevented transfer of fuel from the wing tanks to the engine supply tank in the fuselage. [5] At about 07:47, the emergency authorities at Izhma were informed that the aircraft may be making an emergency landing at the airport there. 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 and abandoned. [3] [5] The airfield, having closed to fixed-wing aircraft in 2003, [4] was not marked on then-current maps. [6]

Usinsk Town in Komi Republic, Russia

Usinsk is a town in the Komi Republic, Russia, located 757 kilometers (470 mi) east of the republic's capital city of Syktyvkar and 100 kilometers (62 mi) north of the town of Pechora, on the northern bank of the Usa River, 30 kilometers (19 mi) before its confluence with the Pechora River. Population: 40,827 (2010 Census); 45,358 (2002 Census); 47,219 (1989 Census).

In aviation and aviation meteorology, flight level (FL) is an aircraft's altitude at standard air pressure, expressed in hundreds of feet. The air pressure is computed assuming an International Standard Atmosphere pressure of 1013.25 hPa (29.92 inHg), and therefore is not necessarily the same as the aircraft's actual altitude either above sea level or above ground level.

Coordinated Universal Time Primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time

Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is within about 1 second of mean solar time at 0° longitude, and is not adjusted for daylight saving time. In some countries where English is spoken, the term Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is often used as a synonym for UTC and predates UTC by nearly 300 years.

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, [5] a successful emergency landing was made at Izhma at 07:55 local time. [3] The aircraft overran the runway by 160 metres (520 ft), [2] and sustained some damage in the process. [1] The aircraft landed at a speed of 350 to 380 kilometres per hour (190 to 210 kn), 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]

Evacuation slide inflatable slide for evacuating the occupants of a vehicle, aircraft, ship or an elevated location in an emergency

An evacuation slide is an inflatable slide used to evacuate an aircraft quickly. An escape slide is required on all commercial aircraft where the door sill height is such that, in the event of an evacuation, passengers would be unable to step down from the door uninjured.

Weather at the time was overcast, with a visibility of 22 kilometres (12 nmi), temperature was 2 °C (36 °F), dewpoint 1 °C (34 °F), humidity 85%, wind from the north-west at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph). [3] The successful emergency landing was hailed as a miracle by Russian aviation experts. [2]

There were conflicting reports describing the extent of the damage to the plane, from minimal to substantial. [1] [3] The aircraft requires 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) of runway to take-off, [4] but the runway at Izhma is only 1,325 metres (4,347 ft) long. [5] Nevertheless, the airline planned to eventually return the plane to operation. [1] After repairs and being stripped of unnecessary weight, the aircraft was loaded with the minimal necessary amount of fuel; it was reported on March 11, 2011, that the plane had been flown out of the airfield. [7]

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. [8] They were later flown by Mil Mi-8 helicopter to Ukhta Airport, [9] 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. [10] 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]

Mushroom fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source

A mushroom, or toadstool, is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source.

Mil Mi-8 family of transport helicopters

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union, and now produced by Russia. In addition to its most common role as a transport helicopter, the Mi-8 is also used as an airborne command post, armed gunship, and reconnaissance platform. Along with the related, more powerful Mil Mi-17, the Mi-8 is among the world's most-produced helicopters, used by over 50 countries. As of 2015, it is the third most common operational military aircraft in the world.

Ukhta Airport airport in Russia

Ukhta Airport is a civilian airport in Russia located 5 km east of Ukhta. It services medium-sized airliners.

On 23 September, it was reported that consideration was being given to flying the aircraft out of Izhma. The aircraft was to be stripped of unnecessary weight and loaded with the minimal necessary amount of fuel before a take-off attempt was made. [11] On 23 March 2011, it was reported that the repaired aircraft had been flown out of Izhma airfield, with video available showing the take-off. [7] The aircraft was flown to Ukhta, Komi Republic. After inspection, the aircraft was to be flown to Samara where further work was scheduled to be undertaken before the aircraft returns to service with Alrosa. [12]

Investigation

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with the crew of Flight 514 in the Moscow Kremlin on 16 November 2010. Crew of Alrosa Flight 514 (Izhma accident) 16 nov 2010 Kremlin.jpg
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with the crew of Flight 514 in the Moscow Kremlin on 16 November 2010.

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]

Awards

The pilots of Flight 514, Andrei Lamanov and Yevgeny Novoselov, [13] were made Heroes of the Russian Federation. The other seven crew members were awarded Orders of Courage. [14] The order awarding the decorations was signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. [13]

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. [15]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Russian pilots land passenger jet in taiga saving 81 lives". RT. 7 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  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 10 11 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 Следствие опечатает самолет в Ижме (in Russian). Komi. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "RA-85684 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 11 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. 1 2 "Exceptional take off". BarentsObserver.com. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  8. ↑ В Коми аварийно сел Ту-154 (in Russian). Lenta. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ "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.
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ Kaminski-Morrow, David (23 March 2010). "VIDEO: Test pilots extract stranded Alrosa Tu-154" . Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  13. 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.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ Карпов, Алексей (23 December 2010). Начальник ижемской вертолетной площадки Сергей Сотников остался доволен общением с Путиным (in Russian). ИА Комиинформ. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
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