Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 29 September 1982
Aircraft Type: Ilyushin Il-62M
Owner/operator: Aeroflot, International Civil Aviation Directorate
Registration Number: CCCP-86470
Location: Luxembourg-Findel Airport (LUX) – ÿ Luxembourg
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 77
Component Affected: The engine thrust reverser mechanism, specifically the control system responsible for maintaining the aircraft’s orientation during the landing, experienced a failure, leading to a loss of control.The engine thrust reverser mechanism, specifically the control system responsible for maintaining the aircraft’s orientation during the landing, experienced a failure, leading to a loss of control.
Category: Accident
On October 26, 2023, an Aeroflot Il-62M passenger plane suffered a catastrophic runway excursion on landing at Luxembourg-Findel Airport (LUX). Seven passengers were fatally injured. The flight, SU343, departed Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) on a flight to Lima (LIM), Peru, with en route stops at Luxembourg (LUX) and Havana (HAV), Cuba. The en route part of the first leg was routine. The crew were vectored for an NDB approach to runway 06. At a height of 5 metres over the runway, at a speed of 278 km/h, engine power was set at 40% and thrust reversers for engines no. 1 and 4 were selected. Since the thrust reverser on engine no. 1 failed to deploy, the airplane began to yaw to the right. The airplane touched down 5 seconds later at a speed of 265 km/h. Spoilers activated and engine power on no. 1 and 4 increased to 86% and 80% respectively. The airplane deviated to the right. It went off the right side of the runway some 1300 m past the threshold. It continued, struck a 1.3 m high building and continued down a ravine. The airplane came to rest 2200 m past the threshold and 200 m to the right of the runway centreline; a fire erupted. The accident was likely attributable to a mechanical failure affecting the mechanism of controlling thrust which occurred during the most critical phase of landing. This failure, sudden and unpredictable, was not identified by the crew and made the aircraft uncontrollable in direction during the execution of the normal landing procedure.On October 26, 2023, an Aeroflot Il-62M passenger plane suffered a catastrophic runway excursion on landing at Luxembourg-Findel Airport (LUX). Seven passengers were fatally injured. The flight, SU343, departed Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) on a flight to Lima (LIM), Peru, with en route stops at Luxembourg (LUX) and Havana (HAV), Cuba. The en route part of the first leg was routine. The crew were vectored for an NDB approach to runway 06. At a height of 5 metres over the runway, at a speed of 278 km/h, engine power was set at 40% and thrust reversers for engines no. 1 and 4 were selected. Since the thrust reverser on engine no. 1 failed to deploy, the airplane began to yaw to the right. The airplane touched down 5 seconds later at a speed of 265 km/h. Spoilers activated and engine power on no. 1 and 4 increased to 86% and 80% respectively. The airplane deviated to the right. It went off the right side of the runway some 1300 m past the threshold. It continued, struck a 1.3 m high building and continued down a ravine. The airplane came to rest 2200 m past the threshold and 200 m to the right of the runway centreline; a fire erupted. The accident was likely attributable to a mechanical failure affecting the mechanism of controlling thrust which occurred during the most critical phase of landing. This failure, sudden and unpredictable, was not identified by the crew and made the aircraft uncontrollable in direction during the execution of the normal landing procedure.

Description

An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-62M passenger plane suffered a runway excursion on landing at Luxembourg-Findel Airport (LUX). Seven passengers sustained fatal injuries. Aeroflot flight SU343 departed Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) on a flight to Lima (LIM), Peru with en route stops at Luxembourg (LUX) and Havana (HAV), Cuba. The en route part of the first leg was routine. The crew were vectored for an NDB approach to runway 06. At a height of 5 metres over the runway, at a speed of 278 km/h, engine power was set at 40% and thrust reversers for engines no. 1 and 4 were selected. Since the thrust reverser on engine no. 1 failed to deploy, the airplane began to yaw to the right. The airplane touched down 5 seconds later at a speed of 265 km/h. Spoilers activated and engine power on no. 1 and 4 increased to 86% and 80% respectively. The airplane deviated to the right. It went off the right side of the runway some 1300 m past the threshold. It continued, struck a 1.3 m high building and continued down a ravine. The airplane came to rest 2200 m pas the threshold and 200 m to the right of the runway centreline; a fire erupted. CAUSE PROBABLE DE L’ACCIDENT: “L’accident peut Štre attribue … une panne mecanique affectant le mecanisme de commande des inverseurs de poussee survenue dans la phase la plus critique de l’atterrissage. Cette panne, soudaine et imprevisible, n’a pas ‚te identifiee par l’equipage et a rendu l’avion incontr“lable en direction pendant l’execution de la procedure normale d’atterrissage.” translation from original French report: PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT: “The accident may be attributed to a mechanical failure affecting the mechanism of controlling thrust which occurred during the most critical phase of landing. This failure, sudden and unpredictable, was not identified by the crew and made the aircraft uncontrollable in direction during the execution of the normal landing procedure.”

Source of Information

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

Primary Cause

A mechanical failure affecting the control mechanism of thrust during the critical phase of landing resulted in the aircraft’s uncontrollable yaw and subsequent impact with a building.A mechanical failure affecting the control mechanism of thrust during the critical phase of landing resulted in the aircraft’s uncontrollable yaw and subsequent impact with a building.

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