Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 21 May 1986
Aircraft Type: Tupolev Tu-154B-2
Owner/operator: Aeroflot, Krasnoyarsk Civil Aviation Directorate
Registration Number: CCCP-85327
Location: Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) – ÿ Russia
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Component Affected: Pitot heating systemPitot heating system
Category: Accident
A Tu-154 flight from Chelyabinsk experienced a significant incident due to a critical failure in pitot heating system activation prior to descending for Domodedovo. The aircraft encountered heavy rainfall and icing, resulting in a loss of pitot tube functionality and incorrect airspeed indications. The crew incorrectly perceived an imminent stall, leading to a rapid and uncontrolled descent. The aircraft sustained substantial structural damage and landed safely at Domodedovo.A Tu-154 flight from Chelyabinsk experienced a significant incident due to a critical failure in pitot heating system activation prior to descending for Domodedovo. The aircraft encountered heavy rainfall and icing, resulting in a loss of pitot tube functionality and incorrect airspeed indications. The crew incorrectly perceived an imminent stall, leading to a rapid and uncontrolled descent. The aircraft sustained substantial structural damage and landed safely at Domodedovo.

Description

Prior to takeoff from Chelyabinsk the crew forgot to activate the pitot heating system. The departure and en route part of the flight were uneventful until the flight was descending for Domodedovo. At an altitude of 3600 m the Tu-154 passed a zone of heavy rainfall and icing. This caused blocking of the pitot tube and incorrect airspeed indications. The airspeed indicator soon went down to zero. The crew mistakenly thought the aircraft was about to stall. They immediately entered a steep descent with the engines at takeoff power. Then aircraft was levelled again at a height of 800 meters. The descent had been flown at a maximum of 100 m/s at a high speed of 813 km/h. The airplane pulled 3.2 G in the process. The high loads on the airframe caused substantial structural damage. The airplane landed safely at Domodedovo. Conclusion By the reason for emergency were improper actions of crew for the piloting during the distorted indications of the indicators of the indicated speed in icing conditions because of not the start it heating PPD, which led to the recovery to the uncalculated flight conditions.

Source of Information

https://www.airhistory.net/info/soviet.phphttps://www.airhistory.net/info/soviet.php

Primary Cause

Improper activation of the pitot heating system prior to descending.Improper activation of the pitot heating system prior to descending.

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