1979 Ukraine Aeroflot mid-air collision
Encyclopedia
The 1979 Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision occurred on when two Aeroflot
Tupolev Tu-134
s collided over the Ukrainian SSR
, near Dniprodzerzhynsk
.
, registration
CCCP-65735, that was operating a domestic scheduled Donetsk
–Minsk
passenger service, flying at an altitude of 8400 metres (27,559.1 ft); there were 84 occupants aboard, of whom 77 were passengers. The other aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-134A, tail number
СССР-65816, that was operating the last leg of a domestic scheduled Chelyabinsk
–Voronezh
–Kishinev passenger service under the airline's Moldova
division, en route at the same altitude the former aircraft was; it had 94 occupants on board —88 passengers and a crew
of 6—.
All occupants of both aircraft perished in the accident, including 17 players and staff of the then Soviet top division Pakhtakor Football Club
team.
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
Tupolev Tu-134
Tupolev Tu-134
The Tupolev Tu-134 is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9 and the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966–1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners , it can operate from unpaved...
s collided over the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, near Dniprodzerzhynsk
Dniprodzerzhynsk
Dniprodzerzhynsk is an industrial city in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine, and a port on the Dnieper River.-History:The first written evidence of settlement in the territory of Dniprodzerzhynsk appeared in 1750. At that time the villages of Romankovo and Kamianske, which make the modern city,...
.
Aircraft
The first aircraft involved was a Tupolev 134AKTupolev Tu-134
The Tupolev Tu-134 is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9 and the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966–1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners , it can operate from unpaved...
, registration
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
CCCP-65735, that was operating a domestic scheduled Donetsk
Donetsk
Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
–Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
passenger service, flying at an altitude of 8400 metres (27,559.1 ft); there were 84 occupants aboard, of whom 77 were passengers. The other aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-134A, tail number
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
СССР-65816, that was operating the last leg of a domestic scheduled Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
–Voronezh
Voronezh
Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
–Kishinev passenger service under the airline's Moldova
Moldavian SSR
The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic , commonly abbreviated to Moldavian SSR or MSSR, was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union...
division, en route at the same altitude the former aircraft was; it had 94 occupants on board —88 passengers and a crew
Aircrew
Aircrew are the personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of the crew depends on the type of aircraft as well as the purpose of the flight.-Civilian:*Aviator** Pilot-in-command** First officer** Second officer** Third officer...
of 6—.
Description of the accident
An air traffic controller noticed that the aircraft were on intersecting routes and ordered 65735 to climb to 9000 metres. The controller heard a muffled reply and assumed it was an acknowledgement from 65735 but the muffled transmission was actually from another aircraft and 65735 and 65816 collided in a cloudy scenario.All occupants of both aircraft perished in the accident, including 17 players and staff of the then Soviet top division Pakhtakor Football Club
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent is an Uzbek professional football club, based in the capital Tashkent. Pakhtakor means cotton-grower in English.Playing in the Uzbek League since 1992, the club has been the undisputed powerhouse in Uzbekistan since the fall of the Soviet Union, winning eight Uzbek League...
team.