Aeroflot Flight U-45
Accident
An Ilyushin Il-18 similar to the accident aircraft
Date	6 February 1970 (1970-02-06)
Summary	Pilot and ATC error
Site	32 km northeast of Samarkand International Airport
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Ilyushin Il-18
Operator	Aeroflot
Registration	CCCP-75798
Flight origin	Tashkent International Airport
Destination	Samarkand International Airport
Passengers	98
Crew	8
Fatalities	92
Injuries	14
Survivors	14

Aeroflot Flight U-45 was a passenger flight operated by an Ilyushin Il-18 that crashed during the approach to Samarkand on Friday, 6 February 1970, resulting in the death of 92 of the 106 people on board. An investigation revealed the aircraft went below the minimum obstacle clearance altitude (MOCA) during approach to Samarkand International Airport.

Accident

Flight U-45 was a scheduled domestic flight from Tashkent to Samarkand. At 14:11 Moscow time the Ilyushin departed Tashkent International Airport and climbed to a cruising altitude of 5,100 meters in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). At 14:33:47 air traffic control (ATC) contacted flight U-45 and gave permission to descend to 2,700 meters and reported their distance to Samarkand Airport at 93 kilometers. At 14:35:45 the controller advised the crew that they would use the approach to runway 27, but then at 14:36:22 due to a change in wind direction it was decided to use runway 09 and at 14:38:26 ATC reported the distance to the airport at 53 kilometers.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Nearing the airport flight U-45 switched frequencies and contacted the approach controller at Samarkand Airport and at 14:39:13 were advised that the aircraft was 48 kilometers from the airport and granted permission to descend to 2,400 meters. The approach controller then misread his radar screen and reported the flight was 31 km out when in fact it was 42–44 km. This led to the aircraft descending too early before crossing a mountain range. The controller cleared the flight for landing on runway 09 and at 14:40:09 the crew accepted the clearance. This was the last transmission from flight U-45. At 14:42:00 at an altitude of 1,500 meters and 32 kilometers northeast of the airport the Il-18 crashed into the side of a mountain at a speed of 380 km/h while descending at seven meters per second. After the initial impact the aircraft separated into five pieces. The co-pilot and 13 passengers survived with injuries and the remaining 7 crew members and 85 passengers were killed.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was an Ilyushin Il-18B, serial number 182004303 and registered as CCCP-75798 to Aeroflot. The construction of the airliner was completed on 29 January 1962 and it had sustained a total of 12,885 flight hours and 4,968 takeoff and landing cycles before the crash.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Investigation

Investigators determined that the primary cause of the accident was the approach controllers misinterpretation of the radar display, specifically that he didn't realize what scale setting the display was set to. It was also noted that the screen was of a dark resolution in a high ambient light setting.^[1]^[2] Several contributing factors were also identified. The organization and level of training of the ATC personnel at Samarkand International Airport was found to be subpar. Although the IL-18 was equipped with radar, its effectiveness was degraded substantially by the weather conditions so the crew had to rely on ATC information. At 14:39:13 the crew were advised that the aircraft was 48 kilometers from the airport, then 37 seconds later the controller stated they 31 km out. In order for the aircraft to cover 17 km in 37 seconds a speed of approximately 1600 km/h would be needed, impossible for an IL-18. Unfortunately the crew missed this important clue and continued the descent into the mountain.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Ilyushin Il-18V crash of Uzbek UGA near Samarkand". airdisaster.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-06-11.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Accident description 6 February 1970". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Accident description February 06, 1970". planecrashinfo.com. Retrieved 2018-06-23.

Aeroflot

Part of the SkyTeam alliance

Subsidiaries

Active	Pobeda Rossiya
Inactive	Dobrolet Donavia Orenair SAT Airlines Vladivostok Air
Exited	Aurora Nordavia (now Smartavia)

Fleet

Accidents and
incidents

1950s	Flight 31 (1955) Flight 04 Тu-104 Kanash crash Flight 120 Flight 200 Flight 315
1960s	Flight 315 Flight 207 Flight 036 Flight 068 Flight 245 Flight 902 Flight 415 Flight 03 Flight 213 Flight 191 Flight 25 Flight 012 Flight 366 Flight 663 Flight 721 Flight 101/X-20 Flight 542 Flight 513 Flight 99 Flight 065 Flight 2723 Flight 5003 Flight 2230 Flight L-51 Flight 1668 Flight 15 Flight 831 Flight N-826
1970s	Flight U-45 Flight 1661 Flight 3630 CCCP-11000 crash CCCP-12996 crash Flight 1969 Flight 1912 Flight 773 Flight 2174 Flight 1491 Flight 558 Flight 1036 Flight 217 Flight 6263 Flight 141 Flight 630 Flight 6551 Flight 109 Flight A-13 Flight 3932 Flight 964 Flight 19 Flight 2022 CCCP-75559 crash Flight 662 Flight 2003 Flight 3739 Flight 909 Flight 1802 Flight 418 Flights 7957 and 31 (1976) Flight 2415 Flight N-36 Flight 3843 Flight 5003 Flight 331 Flight B-2 Flight 6709 Flight 1080 Flight 1691 Flights 7628 and 7880 Flight 5484
1980s	Flight 4225 Flight 498 Flight 811 Flight 3603 Flight 8641 Flight 411 Flight 343 Flight 5463 Flight 601 Flight 3352 Flight 3519 Flight 7841 1985 Zolochiv mid-air collision Flight 5143 Flight 101/435 Flight 2306 Flight 6502 Flight 892 Flight U-505 Flight N-528 Flight 699 Flight 3739
since 1990s	CCCP-46472 crash Flight 2808 Flight 593 Flight 521 Flight 821 Flight 1492

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970

Jan 5

Spantax Convair crash

Feb 2

Cornfield Bomber crash landing

Feb 4

Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 707

Feb 4

TAROM Flight 35

Feb 6

Aeroflot Flight U-45

Feb 15

Dominicana DC-9 disaster

Feb 21

Swissair Flight 330

Mar 17

Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320

Mar 31

Japan Airlines Flight 351

Apr 1

Aeroflot Flight 1661

Apr 1

Berrechid crash

Apr 21

Philippine Airlines Flight 215

May 2

ALM Flight 980

May 15

Dymshits–Kuznetsov hijacking affair

Jul 3

Dan-Air Flight 1903

Jul 5

Air Canada Flight 621

Jul 18

Soviet Air Force Antonov An-22

Jul 22

Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijacking

Jul 27

Flying Tiger Line Flight 45

Aug 9

LANSA Flight 502

Aug 12

China Airlines Flight 206

Sep 2

Aeroflot Flight 3630

Sep 6

Dawson's Field hijackings

Sep 8

Trans International Airlines Flight 863

Sep 26

Icelandair Flugfélag Islands Flight 704

Oct 2

Wichita State Univ football team

Oct 15

Aeroflot Flight 244

Nov 14

Southern Airways Flight 932

Nov 27

Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26

1969 ◄ ► 1971

Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union

1930s	Osoaviakhim-1 SSSR-V6 Osoaviakhim
1940s	1948 Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-12 crash
1950s	1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash LOT Polish Airlines Flight 232 Aeroflot Flight 04 1958 Aeroflot Tu-104 Kanash crash Aeroflot Flight 315 (1959) Aeroflot Flight 120 Aeroflot Flight 200
1960s	Aeroflot Flight 315 (1960) U-2 incident Aeroflot Flight 207 RB-47 shootdown incident Aeroflot Flight 036 Austrian Airlines Flight 901 Aeroflot Flight 068 Aeroflot Flight 245 Aeroflot Flight 902 Aeroflot Flight 415 Aeroflot Flight 213 (1962) Aeroflot Flight 191 Aeroflot Flight 03 Aeroflot Flight 25 Aeroflot Flight 012 Aeroflot Flight 366 Aeroflot Flight 663 Aeroflot Flight 721 Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20 Aeroflot Flight 542 Aeroflot Flight 513 Aeroflot Flight 99 Aeroflot Flight 065 Aeroflot Flight 2723 Aeroflot Flight 5003 (1967) Aeroflot Flight 2230 Aeroflot Flight L-51 Aeroflot Flight 15 Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253A 1969 Yukhnov mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight N-826
1970s	Aeroflot Flight U-45 Aeroflot Flight 1661 Dymshits–Kuznetsov hijacking affair Aeroflot Flight 3630 Aeroflot Flight 244 22 January 1971 Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crash 31 January 1971 Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crash Aeroflot Flight 1969 Aeroflot Flight 1912 Malév Flight 110 Aeroflot Flight 773 Aeroflot Flight N-63 Aeroflot Flight 2174 Aeroflot Flight 1491 Aeroflot Flight 558 Aeroflot Flight 1036 Aeroflot Flight 217 Japan Air Lines Flight 446 Aeroflot Flight 6263 Aeroflot Flight 141 Aeroflot Flight 630 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307 Aeroflot Flight 6551 Aeroflot Flight 109 Aeroflot Flight A-13 Aeroflot Flight 3932 Aeroflot Flight 964 Aeroflot Flight 19 Aeroflot Flight 2022 1974 Leningrad Aeroflot Il-18 crash 1974 Surgut mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 2003 Aeroflot Flight 3739 (1976) Aeroflot Flight 909 Aeroflot Flight 1802 Aeroflot Flight A-53 Aeroflot Flight 418 1976 Anapa mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 2415 Aeroflot Flight N-36 Aeroflot Flight 3843 Aeroflot Flight 5003 (1977) 1977 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 hijacking Aeroflot Flight B-2 Aeroflot Flight 6709 Korean Air Lines Flight 902 1978 Yegoryevsk Tu-144 crash Iranian Chinook shootdown Aeroflot Flight 1080 Aeroflot Flight 1691 1979 Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 5484
1980s– Dec. 1991	Aeroflot Flight 4225 1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash Aeroflot Flight 498 1981 Armenia mid-air collision 1981 Zheleznogorsk mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 811 Aeroflot Flight 3603 Aeroflot Flight 8641 Aeroflot Flight 411 Aeroflot Flight 5463 Korean Air Lines Flight 007 Aeroflot Flight 601 Aeroflot Flight 3352 Aeroflot Flight 3519 Aeroflot Flight 7841 1985 Zolochiv mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 5143 Aeroflot Flight 101/435 Aeroflot Flight 2306 Aeroflot Flight 6502 Aeroflot Flight U-505 Aeroflot Flight N-528 Aeroflot Flight 699 Aeroflot Flight 3739 (1988) 1988 Soviet Air Force Il-76 crash An-24 crash in Navoiy Aeroflot Flight 8556

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Uzbekistan
Aeroflot Flight 120 (December 1959) Aeroflot Flight U-45 (February 1970) Aeroflot Flight 5143 (July 1985) Aeroflot Flight U-505 (April 1987) An-24 crash in Navoiy (March 1991) Uzbekistan Airways Flight 1154 (January 2004)
This includes accidents in the Uzbek SSR and post-independence Uzbekistan

Accident

Aircraft

Investigation

See also

References