Incident Overview

Description
The “smoke in the rear cargo hold” warning activated during cruise at 10,600 m. The presence of smoke was confirmed but the source of fire could not be identified. Then the APU fire warning activated. The crew initiated an emergency descent to land at an intermediate airport. During descent the fire warning in both powerplants activated, the DC electrical system went dead, the attitude indicators, the compass system and the flap extension system shut off and the electromechanical altimeters stopped working. The crew force landed in a snow-covered field 3 km from Pervouralsk. The aircraft collided with irrigation equipment and broke up. PROBABLE CAUSE: The in-flight fire that spread in the underfloor area of the rear cargo hold was probably due to a short circuit in the electrical wiring.
Source of Information
https://www.airhistory.net/info/soviet.phphttps://www.airhistory.net/info/soviet.phpPrimary Cause
Short circuit in the electrical wiring of the cargo hold.Short circuit in the electrical wiring of the cargo hold.Share on: