Investigation Summary
The aircraft was a nearly new Tupolev Tu-124, having been manufactured only three months prior to the accident. During the approach to Murmansk, the weather was poor with snow, cumulonimbus clouds at 260 meters, and visibility limited to 1.5 kilometers. At 15:50, air traffic control instructed the crew to descend to 700 meters. While performing a turn at 800 meters, the captain began losing altitude faster than intended. As the aircraft entered a snowstorm near the non-directional beacon (NDB), the crew suffered a visual illusion. They observed lights from a residential area and, misidentifying them as the airport environment, concluded they were above the required glidepath. This prompted a further increase in the descent rate. The aircraft struck the ice of Lake Kilpyavr at 15:57, just 273 meters short of the NDB. The impact sheared off both wings and caused the fuselage to sink into the lake, while the cockpit section separated and partially submerged near a small island.
Final Conclusions
The primary cause of the accident was the crew's decision to descend below the established glidepath due to a visual misidentification of ground lights. Contributing factors included the lack of glidepath approach lights at Murmansk Airport and the air traffic controller's failure to monitor the aircraft's altitude and warn the crew of their dangerously low position relative to the runway.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Non-Directional Beacon (NDB)
A ground-based radio transmitter used for navigation; the aircraft crashed 273 meters short of the beacon located near the lake.
Altimeter / Glidepath Monitoring
The crew failed to cross-check their barometric altitude against their distance from the runway, leading to an unstabilized descent.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was only three months old, having been completed in August 1965.
- 02At 7,100 meters from the runway, the aircraft was already 400 meters to the left of the extended centerline.
- 03The crash site was 2,127 meters short of the runway threshold and 273 meters short of the NDB.
- 04The fuselage sank into Lake Kilpyavr, requiring soldiers to dive in to rescue trapped passengers.
- 05The airport was not equipped with a glidepath lighting system at the time of the accident.
- 06The cockpit section came to rest 166 meters to the left of the fuselage near a small island.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Airport Infrastructure Upgrade
The investigation highlighted the lack of glidepath approach lights at Murmansk, leading to recommendations for improved lighting systems at regional Soviet airports.