On 18 October 1989, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il 76 carrying paratroopers of the 98th Guards Airborne Division crashed into the Caspian Sea, killing all 57 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident to occur in Azerbaijan.[1]
An Ilyushin Il-76 similar to the aircraft involved | |
Accident | |
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Date | October 18, 1989 (1989-10-18) |
Summary | Engine fire leading to structural failure |
Site | Caspian Sea, near Sumgait, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Ilyushin Il-76 |
Operator | Soviet Air Forces |
Registration | CCCP-76569 |
Flight origin | Nasosnaya Air Base, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic |
Destination | Zhovtneve Air Base, Bolhrad, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic |
Passengers | 50 |
Crew | 7 |
Fatalities | 57 |
Survivors | 0 |
The aircraft was carrying paratroopers home from a mission during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict back to Ukraine. The aircraft was also carrying military property including the GAZ-66. Five minutes after takeoff the no 1 engine caught fire and separated from the aircraft, striking the fuel tank in the process, resulting in an in-flight fire. the crew attempted to return to Nasonaya Air Base, but the fire caused the left wing to separate. The aircraft crashed into the Caspian Sea off of Sumgait.[2]
The cause of the accident was an engine design flaw. The inter-shaft bearing had failed, leading to the low-pressure turbine shaft fracturing from heat.
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1989 (1989) | |
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1988 ◀ ▶ 1990 |