Investigation Summary
The flight was operating a multi-leg journey from Mineralnye Vody to Vilnius. The aircraft involved, registration CCCP-45012, was completed at production factory 135 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on 30 September 1961. After a stopover in Rostov-on-Don, the aircraft climbed to 9,000 meters to avoid other traffic. The crew's last routine transmission at 15:31 MSK was calm, reporting a ground speed of 852 km/h. Six minutes later, a frantic final transmission consisting only of the aircraft's registration suffix was received. The aircraft struck the ground at a 70-degree angle at a speed of 950 km/h, creating a deep crater that destroyed the airframe and the flight data recorder. Post-crash analysis revealed that the rudder trim was at full right deflection and the left aileron trim was at full up, but investigators could not determine if this was a mechanical failure, a pilot error, or a response to an external event.
Final Conclusions
The Air Accident Investigation Commission was unable to discover the root cause of the accident. While investigators considered mid-air collisions with weather balloons or military drones, no evidence supported these theories. Fire was ruled out as a cause because victims had not inhaled smoke and fire damage was consistent with a post-impact blaze. The primary physical evidence was the extreme trim settings found in the wreckage, but the sequence of events leading to those settings remains unknown.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Rudder Trim
Found at full right deflection, which would cause a significant yaw and roll at high speeds.
Aileron Trim
The left aileron trim was found in the full up position, contributing to the aircraft's loss of control.
Flight Data Recorder (FDR)
The device was destroyed by the high-speed impact and subsequent fire, leaving investigators without telemetry.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft impacted the ground at a 70-degree angle.
- 02The flight data recorder was recovered but was too damaged to provide any usable data.
- 03Wreckage analysis showed the engines were at idle power at the moment of impact.
- 04The rudder trim was found in the full right position and the left aileron trim was full up.
- 05Weather conditions along the route were calm and were ruled out as a factor.