Investigation Summary
The flight departed Vnukovo at 10:04 local time bound for Minsk. Shortly after takeoff, as the aircraft entered a thick cloud layer, the flight deck's two main artificial horizons malfunctioned simultaneously. The investigation noted that the failure occurred for unknown reasons, but the impact on the crew was immediate. Without a visible horizon or functioning attitude indicators, the pilots were unable to maintain the correct pitch and bank angles. The aircraft entered a steep left-hand turn and began a rapid descent. The Tupolev Tu-124V struck the ground at high speed just 7 kilometers from the airport, destroying a wooden house in Sanino. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 5 crew members, 56 passengers, and one resident on the ground.
Final Conclusions
The primary cause of the accident was the simultaneous failure of both artificial horizons during instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). This failure led to the spatial disorientation of the flight crew, who subsequently lost control of the aircraft. The specific technical reason for the instrument failure remained undetermined.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Artificial Horizons
The primary instruments used by pilots to determine the aircraft's orientation relative to the Earth's horizon; both failed simultaneously.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was originally built in a 44-passenger configuration but was later upgraded to seat 56.
- 02The crash occurred only 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from the departure airport.
- 03One person on the ground was killed when the aircraft struck a house.
- 04The aircraft had logged over 17,000 flight hours at the time of the accident.
- 05The failure of the artificial horizons occurred specifically as the aircraft entered clouds, preventing visual recovery.