Investigation Summary
The accident involved a scheduled Aeroflot flight from Tallinn to Chisinau with a stopover in Lviv, and a military transport flight carrying high ranking officers of the Carpathian Military District from Lviv to Moscow. As Flight 8381 was descending through 4,200 meters, the ATC supervisor and the sector controller failed to recognize that the Tu-134's path would intersect with the climbing An-26. Due to poor radar coverage and a lack of situational awareness, the controller cleared the Tu-134 to continue its descent into the altitude occupied by the An-26. The aircraft collided inside a cloud layer at approximately 3,900 meters (13,000 feet). The investigation highlighted that the ATC supervisor failed to intervene or identify the conflict in time to prevent the disaster.
Final Conclusions
The primary cause of the collision was air traffic control error. Controllers failed to properly coordinate the movement of the two aircraft and misidentified their exact positions on radar. The sector controller cleared the Tu-134 to descend without a clear understanding of the An-26's location, leading to the trajectory conflict. Additionally, the ATC supervisor was cited for failing to provide adequate oversight and failing to identify the developing collision course in time to initiate corrective action.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Aeroflot SU8381 — Tupolev Tu-134A · CCCP-65856
Soviet Air Force — Antonov An-26 · 101 red
Systems & Failure Modes
Air Traffic Control Radar
Poor radar coverage and controller misinterpretation of radar data led to the failure to maintain separation.
Interesting Facts
- 01The collision occurred at an altitude of approximately 13,000 feet (3,900 meters).
- 02The An-26 was carrying several high ranking military officers from the Carpathian Military District.
- 03Both aircraft were completely destroyed, losing their right wings and tail sections during the impact.
- 04The weather at the time of the collision was overcast with the aircraft flying in clouds.
- 05The crash site was located approximately 60 kilometers east of Lviv.
Safety Actions & Advisories
ATC Coordination Improvements
The investigation led to calls for better coordination between civil and military air traffic control sectors in the Soviet Union to prevent similar conflicts.