Investigation Summary
The flight was the first leg of a long-haul service from Moscow to Lima, Peru, with scheduled stops in Luxembourg and Havana. The crew was vectored for an NDB approach to runway 06 at Luxembourg Findel Airport. The approach was routine until the final seconds. At a height of 5 metres above the runway and a speed of 278 km/h, engine power was set to 40% and the crew selected thrust reversal for the outboard engines (1 and 4). However, a mechanical failure in the control mechanism prevented the number 1 engine's reverser from deploying. When the crew increased power to 86% and 80% respectively to decelerate, the resulting asymmetrical thrust caused the aircraft to yaw violently to the right. The Il-62M touched down 5 seconds later at 265 km/h but was already deviating from the centerline. It exited the right side of the runway approximately 1,300 metres past the threshold, struck a 1.3-metre-high partially buried building, and plunged into a ravine. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and a post-crash fire.
Final Conclusions
The investigation, conducted by the Aeronautical Administration of the Kingdom of Belgium with Soviet participation, concluded that the accident was caused by a sudden and unforeseeable mechanical failure of the thrust reverser control mechanism on engine No. 1. This failure occurred during the most critical phase of landing and was not immediately identified by the crew, rendering the aircraft uncontrollable in direction during the normal landing procedure.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
Aeroflot Flight 343 Aftermath Footage — Historical news footage showing the wreckage and rescue operations at Luxembourg Findel Airport following the crash of the Aeroflot Il-62.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Aged 47
First Officer
Aged 55
Flight Engineer
Aged 46
Radio Operator
Aged 34
Navigator
Aged 46
Flight Instructor
Extra pilot, aged 58
Systems & Failure Modes
Thrust Reversers
Mechanical systems on engines 1 and 4 designed to redirect engine exhaust forward to assist in braking; a failure in the control mechanism of engine 1 caused asymmetrical thrust.
Soloviev D-30KU Engines
The four turbofan engines powering the Il-62M; during the excursion, power on the functioning reverser (engine 4) was increased to 80% while engine 1 remained in forward thrust at 86%.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was the first Aeroflot jet to crash outside the Soviet bloc.
- 02The number 1 engine thrust reverser failed to deploy while the number 4 engine operated normally.
- 03The aircraft had accumulated 10,325 flight hours since its manufacture in 1977.
- 04Visibility at the time of the accident was reported as CAVOK (Ceiling and Visibility OK).
- 05The crash site was located 200 metres to the right of the runway centerline.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Joint Technical Investigation
Source ↗Following the accident, Luxembourgish authorities requested experts from Belgium's aeronautical administration to conduct the investigation. Soviet technical experts from the Ministry of Civil Aviation participated in detailed technical examinations of the Soloviev D-30KU engines and thrust reverser mechanisms at Luxembourg Findel Airport to identify the specific mechanical failure point.