Tupolev 124 ditching in Neva river
Encyclopedia
The Tupolev 124 ditching in Neva River was a notable case of water landing
that occurred in the Soviet Union
in 1963. A Tupolev Tu-124
of Soviet state airline
Aeroflot
(Moscow
division) took off from Tallinn
-Ülemiste Airport (TLL) at 08:55 on August 21, 1963 with 45 passengers and 7 crew on board. The aircraft (registration number СCСР-45021) was built in 1962 and was scheduled to fly to Moscow
-Vnukovo (VKO
) under command of 27 year-old captain Victor Mostovoy. After liftoff it appeared the nose gear undercarriage didn't retract. Ground control
diverted the flight to Leningrad
(LED
) — because of fog
at Tallinn — at low altitude.
At 10:00 the aircraft started to circle the city at 1650 feet (502.9 m), in order to expend fuel
, decreasing the risk of fire in the event of a forced landing
. The ground services at Pulkovo Airport
(LED
) were preparing the dirt runway for the forced landing. Each loop in the airspace around the city took the aircraft approximately 15 minutes. During this time the crew attempted to force the nose gear to lock into the fully extended position by pushing it with a pole taken from the cloak closet.
While participating in a show aired on Russia
n television
(in the late 1990s, more than 35 years after the events) the co-pilot speculated that preoccupation with the nose gear might have led the crew to miss the moment when the remaining fuel became insufficient for flight to Pulkovo and safe descent. The eighth and last loop had begun at 12:10 when, 13 miles from the airport, the no. 1 engine was starved of fuel and ceased to function. The remaining engine ceased shortly thereafter, with the aircraft above the city center, moving East over St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Admiralty
. Upon loss of power to both engines, it occurred to the flight crew that the only hope was to ditch the craft in the 300 metres (984.3 ft) wide Neva River
.
Eyewitnesses saw the airplane descend upstream along the river, passing the Liteyny Bridge
at an altitude of less than 300 feet. Immediately after the turn, the craft glided over the high steel structures of the Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge
with approximately 100 feet (30 m) of clearance. Tu-124 flew just over the Alexander Nevsky Bridge
— under construction at the time — barely missing it. The pilot managed to ditch the aircraft onto the river surface, in close proximity to an 1898-built steam tugboat
.
The plane began to flood. The tugboat's captain then broke the aircraft's windshield to tie a cable to the cockpit's control wheel and proceeded to tow the craft to the river bank. During the tow all passengers remained on board. Passengers and crew then evacuated the cabin via an access hatch on the plane's roof.
Water landing
A water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
that occurred in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1963. A Tupolev Tu-124
Tupolev Tu-124
The Tupolev Tu-124 was a 56 passenger short range twinjet airliner built in the Soviet Union. It was the world's first turbofan-powered airliner.- Design and development :...
of Soviet state airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
Aeroflot
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...
(Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
division) took off from Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
-Ülemiste Airport (TLL) at 08:55 on August 21, 1963 with 45 passengers and 7 crew on board. The aircraft (registration number СCСР-45021) was built in 1962 and was scheduled to fly to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
-Vnukovo (VKO
Vnukovo International Airport
Vnukovo International Airport , is a dual runway international airport located southwest from the centre of Moscow, Russia. It is one of three major airports serving Moscow...
) under command of 27 year-old captain Victor Mostovoy. After liftoff it appeared the nose gear undercarriage didn't retract. Ground control
Ground control
- Aviation and spaceflight :* Air traffic control, in charge of the controlled areas on an airport*A mission control center, such as the one at Johnson Space Center, responsible for spaceflight- Engineering :...
diverted the flight to Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
(LED
Pulkovo Airport
Pulkovo Airport is an international airport serving Saint Petersburg, Russia. It consists of two terminals, Pulkovo-1 and Pulkovo-2 , which are located about and south of the city centre, respectively. The airport serves as a hub for Rossiya Airlines , and as focus city for Nordavia...
) — because of fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
at Tallinn — at low altitude.
At 10:00 the aircraft started to circle the city at 1650 feet (502.9 m), in order to expend fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
, decreasing the risk of fire in the event of a forced landing
Forced landing
A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components or weather which makes continued flight impossible. For a full description of these, see article on Emergency landing...
. The ground services at Pulkovo Airport
Pulkovo Airport
Pulkovo Airport is an international airport serving Saint Petersburg, Russia. It consists of two terminals, Pulkovo-1 and Pulkovo-2 , which are located about and south of the city centre, respectively. The airport serves as a hub for Rossiya Airlines , and as focus city for Nordavia...
(LED
Pulkovo Airport
Pulkovo Airport is an international airport serving Saint Petersburg, Russia. It consists of two terminals, Pulkovo-1 and Pulkovo-2 , which are located about and south of the city centre, respectively. The airport serves as a hub for Rossiya Airlines , and as focus city for Nordavia...
) were preparing the dirt runway for the forced landing. Each loop in the airspace around the city took the aircraft approximately 15 minutes. During this time the crew attempted to force the nose gear to lock into the fully extended position by pushing it with a pole taken from the cloak closet.
While participating in a show aired on Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
(in the late 1990s, more than 35 years after the events) the co-pilot speculated that preoccupation with the nose gear might have led the crew to miss the moment when the remaining fuel became insufficient for flight to Pulkovo and safe descent. The eighth and last loop had begun at 12:10 when, 13 miles from the airport, the no. 1 engine was starved of fuel and ceased to function. The remaining engine ceased shortly thereafter, with the aircraft above the city center, moving East over St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Admiralty
Russian Admiralty
Admiralty Board was a supreme body for the administration of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Russian Empire, established by Peter the Great on December 12, 1718, and headquartered in the Admiralty building, Saint Petersburg....
. Upon loss of power to both engines, it occurred to the flight crew that the only hope was to ditch the craft in the 300 metres (984.3 ft) wide Neva River
Neva River
The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length , it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge .The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake...
.
Eyewitnesses saw the airplane descend upstream along the river, passing the Liteyny Bridge
Liteyny Bridge
The Liteyny Bridge is the second permanent bridge across the Neva river in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It connects Liteyny Prospekt with Vyborgsky district. The bridge's length is 396 meters, the width is 34 meters...
at an altitude of less than 300 feet. Immediately after the turn, the craft glided over the high steel structures of the Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge
Peter the Great Bridge
Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge is a bridge across the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The bridge's length is 334 meters, the width is 23 meters. The bridge features only three spans, the central one can be drawn.-History:...
with approximately 100 feet (30 m) of clearance. Tu-124 flew just over the Alexander Nevsky Bridge
Alexander Nevsky Bridge
The Alexander Nevsky Bridge in St Petersburg, Russia is named after the legendary Russian military commander and politician Alexander Nevsky. The bridge connects Alexander Nevsky Square and Zanevsky prospect thus linking the southern and the northern parts of the city...
— under construction at the time — barely missing it. The pilot managed to ditch the aircraft onto the river surface, in close proximity to an 1898-built steam tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
.
The plane began to flood. The tugboat's captain then broke the aircraft's windshield to tie a cable to the cockpit's control wheel and proceeded to tow the craft to the river bank. During the tow all passengers remained on board. Passengers and crew then evacuated the cabin via an access hatch on the plane's roof.
See also
- List of airline flights that required gliding
- US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
- Water landingWater landingA water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....