Accidents and Incidents
According to the American Flight Safety Foundation, between 1958 and 1981, 16 Tu-104s were lost in crashes out of 37 aircraft written off (hull loss rate = 18%). Noted incidents include:
- June 30, 1962 – Aeroflot Flight 902 was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile during a training exercise, killing all aboard.
- May 18, 1973 – A hijacker detonated an explosive device on a scheduled flight from Irkutsk to Chita, it crashed near Lake Baikal killing all aboard.
- October 13, 1973 – While on approach to Domodedovo International Airport, an Aeroflot Tu-104 suffered an electrical power failure, disabling the compass and gyros. Due to the difficulty of establishing their heading, the plane crashed into the ground, killing all 5 crew and 114 passengers. This was the largest single accident involving the Tu-104 and led to the aircraft being removed from commercial service.
- February 7, 1981 – A Soviet Navy Tu-104A crashed after takeoff killing all aboard, including most of the senior staff of the Soviet Pacific Fleet. The accident was due to improper loading and caused the grounding of all remaining military Tu-104s.
| Date | Tail number | Crash Site | Casualties | Brief description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb 1958 | USSR Л5414 | USSR Savasleyka | no data | crash-landed after running out of fuel |
| 15 Aug 1958 | USSR Л5442 | USSR Chita | 64/64 | stalled and went into spin |
| 17 October 1958 | USSR 42362 | USSR Kanash | 73/73 | went into spin |
| 21 October 1960 | USSR 42452 | USSR Ust-Orda | 3/3 | unknown |
| 1 February 1961 | USSR 42357 | USSR Vladivostok | 0 | rough landing; overran runway |
| 13 March 1961 | USSR 42438 | USSR Koltsovo | 5/5 | engine failure after takeoff in storm |
| 10 July 1961 | USSR 42447 | USSR Odessa | 1/85 | rough landing in storm |
| 10 July 1961 | USSR 42388 | USSR Tashkent | 0 | rough landing |
| 10 July 1961 | USSR 42504 | USSR Vladivostok | 0 | rough landing |
| 4 June 1962 | USSR 42491 | BUL Sophia | 5/5 | crashed into mountain after engine failure |
| 30 June 1962 | USSR 42370 | USSR Krasnoyarsk | 84/84 | mistakenly shot down by anti-aircraft missile |
| 2 September 1962 | USSR 42366 | USSR Khabarovsk | 86/86 | lost control on takeoff |
| 25 October 1962 | USSR 42495 | USSR Sheremetyevo | 10/10 | Test flight (rudder controls reversed) |
| 16 March 1963 | Czechoslovakia OK-LDB | India Bombay | 0/0 | caught fire during refueling |
| 18 May 1963 | USSR 42483 | USSR Leningrad | no data | went into spin on landing |
| 18 May 1963 | USSR 42492 | USSR Irkutsk | 32/32 | short landing 2 km from runway |
| 9 June 1964 | USSR 42476 | USSR Novosibirsk | no data | Overran runway while landing in storm |
| 28 April 1969 | USSR 42436 | USSR Irkutsk | no data | landed 600 meters short of runway |
| 1 June 1970 | Czechoslovakia OK-NDD | Libya Tripoli | 13/13 | crashed 5.5 km short of runway |
| 25 July 1971 | USSR 42405 | USSR Irkutsk | 97/126 | landed 200 meters short of runway; caught fire |
| 10 October 1971 | USSR 42490 | USSR Vnukovo | 20/20 | explosion in cargo bay on takeoff |
| 23 April 1973 | USSR 42505 | USSR Leningrad | 2/57 | failed hijacking; explosion caused depressurization |
| 18 May 1973 | USSR 42411 | USSR Buryat ASSR | 82/82 | hijacking on flight from Irkutsk to Chita; exploded mid-air |
| 29 August 1973 | Czechoslovakia OK-MDE | Cyprus Nicosia | 0/70 | rough landing due to pilot error |
| 30 September 1973 | USSR 42506 | USSR Sverdlovsk | 108/108 | Mechanical failure on flight between Sverdlovsk — Khabarovsk |
| 13 October 1973 | USSR 42486 | USSR Domodedovo | 119/119 | Power failure and loss of control |
| 7 December 1973 | USSR 42503 | USSR near Moscow | 13/72 | rough landing in poor weather |
| 5 November 1974 | USSR 42501 | USSR Chita | 0/no data | overran runway |
| 30 August 1975 | USSR 42472 | USSR Novosibirsk | 0/no data | landing gear failed on landing |
| 9 February 1976 | USSR 42327 | USSR Irkutsk | 24/115 | crashed on takeoff |
| 17 July 1976 | USSR 42335 | USSR Chita | 0/no data | crashed on takeoff due to overloading |
| 28 November 1976 | USSR 42471 | USSR Sheremetyevo | 72/72 | instrument failure, loss of control |
| 1976 | USSR 42371 | USSR Kiev | no data | engine failure on landing |
| 13 January 1977 | USSR 42369 | USSR Alma-Ata | 96/96 | engine failure; mid-air explosion |
| 17 March 1979 | USSR 42444 | USSR near Moscow | 86/106 | Encountered false fire alarm from engine during takeoff; the crew turned back to Vnukovo. The plane crashed while attempting to return to the airport. |
| 7 February 1981 | USSR 42332 | USSR Pushkin | 52/52 | Soviet Navy flight; failed takeoff due to shifting cargo |
Read more about this topic: Tupolev Tu-104
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