Investigation Summary
Flight 5003 was a multi-leg cargo operation operated by Aeroflot's Directorate of Polar Aviation, transporting prefabricated industrial materials, including bearings, tools, plastics, enamels, and belts. The flight originated in Moscow-Sheremetyevo with a final destination of Khabarovsk. After stops in Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk, the aircraft departed Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo at 06:33 local time bound for Irkutsk. Almost immediately after liftoff, a fire erupted. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft trailing smoke and flames while still at a low altitude. The crew, facing rapidly deteriorating conditions and smoke in the cockpit, attempted to return or land immediately. However, the combination of the fire's intensity, low cloud cover, and haze made the emergency maneuver extremely difficult. The aircraft impacted the ground seven kilometers from the airfield. The investigation noted that the firefighting system had not been activated by the crew, though the speed at which the fire developed may have rendered such systems ineffective against the specific cargo involved.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the crash was caused by an uncontrollable in-flight fire that led to a loss of control during an attempted emergency landing in adverse weather. While the exact cause of the fire remained undetermined due to the total destruction of the airframe, it was attributed to the nature of the cargo rather than a failure of the aircraft's fuel or electrical systems. The crew's failure to engage the onboard firefighting system was noted as a contributing factor, though the severity of the fire likely made the accident unsurvivable regardless of its activation.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Firefighting System
The An-12 is equipped with a fire suppression system for the engines and cargo areas; however, it was not engaged by the crew during the short flight.
Ivchenko AI-20 Turboprops
The aircraft was powered by four AI-20 turboprop engines, which were not found to be the source of the initial fire.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was carrying a diverse load of industrial materials including enamels and plastics.
- 02The visibility at the time of the accident was approximately four kilometers with snow and low clouds.
- 03The aircraft had been in the air for less than two minutes before the crash.
- 04The wreckage was so heavily damaged by fire and impact that the exact ignition source could not be identified.
- 05The crew did not activate the aircraft's firefighting system during the emergency.
Location
APPROXIMATE POSITION · AIRPORT LEVEL · Coordinates are the estimate published in the official investigation report. The ring shows the accuracy the record supports, not the point of impact.