The 2009 Makhachkala Il-76 collision occurred on January 15, 2009 near 18:00 UTC, when two Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft collided at the Uytash Airport serving the city of Makhachkala in Dagestan, Russia.
One plane was landing with 31 soldiers on board, while the other plane, having unloaded all of its soldiers, was taxiing for take-off. The taxiing plane crossed the taxiway end-line but did not report its position to air traffic control (ATC). ATC gave permission to the approaching plane to land. Due to a sudden gust of wind, the landing plane deviated to the right and struck the taxiing plane's cockpit with its wing. Both planes caught fire. The airport was closed until the following morning.
Four crew members were killed in the taxiing plane, and one more was reported missing.
Famous quotes containing the word collision:
“When the wind carries a cry which is meaningful to human ears, it is simpler to believe the wind shares with us some part of the emotion of Being than that the mysteries of a hurricane’s rising murmur reduce to no more than the random collision of insensate molecules.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)