Investigation Summary
The flight was a multi-leg scheduled domestic service originating in Sochi with a planned stopover at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport before continuing to Norilsk. During the approach to Vnukovo, the flight crew neglected to lower the landing gear. The Ilyushin Il-18 is equipped with warning systems, but the crew failed to respond to these indications or verify the gear status before touchdown. The aircraft contacted the runway surface on its fuselage, sliding along the concrete. The friction and structural damage ignited a fire that quickly spread through the airframe. While the majority of the passengers and crew managed to evacuate the burning wreckage, 16 individuals lost their lives, primarily due to fire and smoke inhalation during the emergency egress.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the primary cause of the accident was pilot error. The crew failed to execute the standard landing checklist, which led to the omission of the landing gear extension. The subsequent belly landing and friction-induced fire were direct consequences of this procedural lapse.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Landing Gear System
The retractable undercarriage was not deployed by the crew during the approach, leading to a belly landing.
Landing Gear Warning Horn
A system designed to alert the crew if the throttles are retarded while the gear is not locked down; in this event, the warning was either ignored or not acted upon in time.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-18B, a four-engine turboprop airliner.
- 02There were 94 passengers and 7 crew members on board.
- 03The accident occurred during a scheduled stopover at Vnukovo Airport.
- 0416 fatalities occurred among the 101 people on board.
- 05The aircraft was destroyed by the post-crash fire.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Checklist Discipline
The accident reinforced the necessity of strict adherence to landing checklists within Aeroflot operations to ensure critical systems like landing gear are configured correctly.