Investigation Summary
The flight was a scheduled service from Moscow to Ashgabat with an intermediate stop at Krasnovodsk. During the approach to Krasnovodsk, the Pilot in Charge (PIC) allowed the co-pilot, who possessed limited experience and skill, to act as the Pilot Flying. The approach became increasingly unstable, but the PIC did not intervene or provide the necessary close supervision required for such a challenging approach. The aircraft struck the runway with a vertical load factor of 4.8g, far exceeding the structural limits of the airframe. This massive impact caused the tail section to separate from the main fuselage. While 135 people survived the initial impact and subsequent breakup, 11 passengers were fatally injured when they were ejected from the aircraft during the structural failure.
Final Conclusions
The primary cause of the accident was poor crew resource management (CRM) by the Pilot in Charge. The investigation concluded that the PIC failed to monitor the inexperienced co-pilot effectively and provided only untimely corrections to errors during the approach. The aircraft itself was found to be fully serviceable with no mechanical faults prior to the impact, placing the responsibility for the heavy landing and subsequent structural failure entirely on the flight crew's performance.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Fuselage Structure
The rear section of the aircraft failed structurally when the vertical load during landing reached 4.8g, causing the tail to separate.
Interesting Facts
- 01The landing impact was recorded at 4.8g.
- 02The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-154B-1 built in 1977.
- 03There were 146 people on board, consisting of 137 passengers and 9 crew members.
- 04All 11 fatalities were passengers thrown from the fuselage during the breakup.
- 05The investigation found no mechanical faults with the aircraft prior to the crash.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Enhanced CRM and Supervision Training
Source ↗Following the investigation, recommendations were made to improve Crew Resource Management (CRM) training, specifically focusing on the Pilot in Charge's responsibility to provide timely intervention and active supervision when allowing inexperienced co-pilots to handle the aircraft during critical phases of flight.
Review of Landing Procedures for Inexperienced Crew
Source ↗The Ministry of Civil Aviation emphasized the necessity for stricter adherence to flight manuals regarding the delegation of control, ensuring that less experienced crew members are only permitted to fly under favorable conditions and with constant, proactive monitoring by the PIC.