Incidents and Accidents
As of January 2011, since 1970 there have been 110 serious incidents involving the Tu-154, and 69 hull losses, 30 of which did not involve fatalities. Of the fatal incidents, six resulted from terrorist or military action (two other war-time losses were non fatal) including an accidental missile shoot-down by Ukraine, several from poor runway conditions in winter (including one in which the airplane struck snow plows on the runway), cargo overloading in the lapse of post-Soviet federal safety standards, and mid-air collisions due to faulty air traffic control. Other incidents resulted from mechanical problems (two cases prior to 2001), running out of fuel on unscheduled routes, pilot errors (including lack of flight training for new crews), and cargo fires. The Tu-154 is described as having an average (or better than expected) safety record considering its length of service and heavy use in demanding conditions where other airliners are unable to operate. On January 2, 2011, Russia's Federal Transport Oversight Agency advised airlines to stop using remaining examples of the Tu-154 (B variant) until the fatal fire incident in Surgut had been investigated. Its operation in Iran, which is subject to an aircraft parts embargo, ceased in February 2011 due to a number of incidents involving the type (almost 9% of all Tu-154 losses have occurred in Iran) In 2010 there were two fatal losses of the Tu-154 due to pilot error and/or weather conditions (a Polish presidential jet attempting to land at an airfield in heavy fog and a Russian-registered plane that suffered engine stall after a crew member inactivated a fuel transfer pump). Following these accidents, in March 2011 the Russian Federal Bureau of Aviation recommended a withdrawal of remaining Tu-154M from service. In December 2010, Uzbekistan Airways also declared that it will cease to operate Tu-154s from 2011.
date |
Tail number | Location | Fatalities | Brief description |
---|---|---|---|---|
19.02.1973 | CCCP-85023 | Prague | 66/100 | Landed 470 m short of the runway |
03.1973 | n.d. | near Kiev | 0/n.d. | Crashed |
07.05.1973 | CCCP-85030 | Vnukovo | 0/6 | Crashed during training flight |
10.07.1974 | SU-AXB | Cairo | 6/6 | Crashed during training flight |
30.09.1975 | HA-LCI | Beirut | 60/60 | Crashed in the sea on final approach in clear weather, allegedly shot down by one or two air to air missiles fired by either IDF or SDF forces. |
01.06.1976 | CCCP-85102 | Malabo | 46/46 | Crashed into a mountain on final approach |
1976 | CCCP-85020 | Kiev | 0/n.d. | Rough landing, written off. Now in museum |
02.12.1977 | LZ-BTN | Benghazi | 59/165 | Unable to land in dense fog the plane ran out of fuel searching another airfield and crash-landed |
23.03.1978 | LZ-BTB | near Damascus | 4/4 | Crashed on final approach |
19.05.1978 | CCCP-85169 | Tver oblast | 4/134 | Fuel supply turned off due to flight engineer error, crash-landed in field |
18.02.1978 | CCCP-85087 | Novosibirsk | 0/n.d. | Fire onboard |
01.03.1980 | CCCP-85103 | Orenburg | 0/161 | Rough landing |
07.07.1980 | CCCP-85355 | Alma-Ata | 164/164 | Crashed at take-off |
07.08.1980 | YR-TPH | Mauritania | 1/168 | Ditched 300 m short of runway |
08.10.1980 | CCCP-85321 | Chita | 0/n.d. | Rough landing |
13.06.1981 | CCCP-85029 | Bratsk | 0/n.d. | Overran on landing, fuselage broke into two |
16.11.1981 | CCCP-85480 | Norilsk | 99/167 | Rough landing 470 m short of runway due to crew errors |
21.10.1981 | HA-LCF | Prague | 0/81 | Rough landing due to crew error |
11.10.1984 | CCCP-85243 | Omsk | 4+174/179 | Collided with maintenance vehicles on landing due to controller error |
23.12.1984 | CCCP-85338 | Krasnoyarsk | 110/111 | Engine fire and hydraulics fault. One occupant reportedly survived the crash according Aviation Safety Network. |
10.07.1985 | CCCP-85311 | Uchkuduk | 200/200 | Overloaded plane stalled and crashed due to crew errors |
1986 | 7O-ACN | Aden | n.d. | Overran on landing, never repaired |
21.05.1986 | CCCP-85327 | Domodedovo | 0/175 | Deformation of fuselage due to crew errors during flight |
18.01.1988 | CCCP-85254 | Krasnovodsk | 11/143 | Rough landing, plane broke into two |
08.03.1988 | CCCP-85413 | Vetschyovo | 9/n.d. | Blown up by hijackers (Ovechkin family) |
24.09.1988 | CCCP-85479 | Aleppo | 0/168 | Broke into two on landing, was caught by wind shear |
24.09.1988 | CCCP-85617 | Norilsk | 0/n.d. | Rough landing, turned into training mock-up |
13.01.1989 | CCCP-85067 | Monrovia | 0/n.d. | Aborted take-off and runway overrun due to overloading |
09.02.1989 | YR-TPJ | Bucharest | 5/5 | Crashed at take-off due to engine failure |
20.10.1990 | CCCP-85268 | Kutaisi | 0/171 | Nosegear collapsed due to overloading |
17.11.1990 | CCCP-85664 | Velichovky, Czech Republic | 0/6 | Fire on board, the plane burned out after emergency landing |
23.05.1991 | CCCP-85097 | Leningrad | 2+13/178 | Rough landing, nosegear collapsed and plane broke into two |
14.09.1991 | CU-T1227 | Mexico City | 0/112 | Overran on landing |
05.06.1992 | LZ-BTD | Varna | 0/130 | Overran on landing in heavy rain |
18.06.1992 | RA-85282 | Bratsk | 1+0/0 | Burned out during refueling |
18.06.1992 | RA-85234 | Bratsk | 0/0 | Burned out in the same incident |
20.07.1992 | 4L-85222 | Tbilisi | 4+24/24 | Crashed at take-off due to overloading |
01.08.1992 | YA-TAP | Kabul | 0/0 | Destroyed in the airport by mortar fire |
05.09.1992 | UR-85269 | Kiev | 0/147 | Rough landing with left gear still retracted |
13.10.1992 | RA-85528 | Vladivostok | 0/67 | The plane was unable to take-off due to overloading |
05.12.1992 | EK-85105 | Erevan | 0/154 | Overran on landing |
19.01.1993 | UK-85533 | Delhi | 0/165 | Rough landing due to crew error |
08.02.1993 | EP-ITD | near Tehran | 2+131/131 | Mid-air collision with Su-22 |
22.09.1993 | 4L-85163 | Sukhumi | 108/132 | Shot down by missile |
23.09.1993 | 4L-85359 | Sukhumi | 0/0 | Damaged by shelling, never repaired |
25.12.1993 | RA-85296 | Grozny | 0/172 | Rough landing, nosegear collapsed. Destroyed by air strike in 1994 |
03.01.1994 | RA-85656 | Irkutsk | 1+125/125 | Engine fire at take-off, hydraulics failed |
06.06.1994 | B-2610 | Xian | 160/160 | Disintegrated in mid-air due to errors in auto-pilot settings |
21.01.1995 | UP-85455 | Karachi | 0/117 | The plane was unable to take-off due to overloading |
07.12.1995 | RA-85164 | near Khabarovsk | 98/98 | Asymmetrical fuel supply from wing tanks, the captain mistakenly increased the right heel and the plane crashed |
29.08.1996 | RA-85621 | Longyearbyen | 141/141 | Crashed in the mountain on final approach due to crew error |
13.09.1997 | 11+02 | Namibia | 24/24 | Mid-air collision with USAF C-141 |
15.12.1997 | EY-85281 | Sharja | 85/86 | Landed short of runway, crew error |
29.08.1998 | CU-T1264 | Quito | 10+70/91 | Aborted take-off, overran and caught fire |
24.02.1999 | B-2622 | Ruian | 61/61 | Crashed on final approach due to technical failure |
04.07.2000 | HA-LCR | Saloniki | 0/76 | Accidental gear-up touchdown during the landing at Thessaloniki, skidded on runway, but able to take off and land normally after a go-around. |
03.07.2001 | RA-85845 | Irkutsk | 145/145 | Stalled and crashed on final approach due to crew errors |
04.10.2001 | RA-85693 | Black sea | 78/78 | Allegedly shot down by stray Ukrainian missile |
12.02.2002 | EP-MBS | Khorremabad | 119/119 | Crashed on final approach |
20.02.2002 | EP-LBX | Mashhad | 0/n.d. | Rough landing, sent to Vnukovo for repair where a nosegear collapsed |
01.07.2002 | RA-85816 | Germany | 2+69/69 | Mid-air collision with Boeing 757 of DHL Aviation due to negligence on the part of skyguide air traffic control |
24.08.2004 | RA-85556 | Millerovo | 46/46 | Exploded in mid-air by suicide bomber |
22.08.2006 | RA-85185 | near Donetsk | 170/170 | Stalled and crashed due to attempt to fly over storm front at critical altitude |
01.09.2006 | EP-MCF | Mashhad | 29/147 | The tyre blew out on landing, the plane skidded off the runway and caught fire |
30.06.2008 | RA-85667 | St Petersburg | 0/112 | Engine fire at take-off, take off was aborted and the plane written off |
15.07.2009 | EP-CPG | near Qazvin | 168/168 | Engine fire and explosion, the plane lost control and crashed |
24.01.2010 | RA-85787 | Mashhad | 0/170 | Rough landing, the plane broke up and caught fire |
10.04.2010 | 101 | Smolensk | 96/96 | Crashed on final approach in thick fog on an airfield with no ILS. President Lech KaczyĆski and other high-ranking officials were on board and died in the crash. |
07.09.2010 | RA-85684 | Izhma | 0/81 | Emergency landing at remote airfield after general electrical failure at 34,800 ft, overran the small runway and sustained minor damage with no injuries. In March 2011 it was flown back to Samara for structural inspection. |
04.12.2010 | RA-85744 | Moscow | 2/170 | An emergency landing after two engines failed shortly after take-off; full of fuel. Overran the runway and broke up into three. The accident investigation revealed that a crew member had mistakenly switched off a fuel transfer pump thereby causing fuel-starvation and subsequent engine stall |
01.01.2011 | RA-85588 | Surgut | 3/124 | Fire onboard and subsequent explosion while taxiing for take-off, all three engines running. |
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