Aeroflot Flight 3352

Aeroflot Flight 3352
	A Tupolev Tu-154B-1, similar to the one involved in the accident, in 1982.
Accident
Date	11 October 1984
Summary	Runway incursion due to ATC error
Site	Omsk Airport, Omsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Total fatalities	178 (including 4 on the ground)
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154B-1
Operator	Aeroflot
Registration	CCCP-85243
Flight origin	Krasnodar International Airport
Stopover	Omsk Airport
Destination	Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport
Occupants	179
Passengers	170
Crew	9
Fatalities	174
Injuries	5
Survivors	5
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities	4

Aeroflot Flight 3352 was a Tupolev Tu-154 airline flight on a domestic route from Krasnodar to Novosibirsk, with an intermediate landing in Omsk. While landing at Omsk Airport on Thursday, 11 October 1984, the aircraft crashed into maintenance vehicles on the runway, killing 174 people on board and 4 on the ground. While a chain of mistakes in airport operations contributed to the accident, its major cause was an air traffic controller falling asleep on duty. As of 2021, this remains the deadliest aviation accident on Russian territory. It was also the deadliest aviation accident involving a Tupolev Tu-154 at the time until the crash of Aeroflot Flight 7425 9 months later; as of 2021, it still ranks as the second-deadliest accident involving a Tupolev Tu-154. ^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Accident details[]

At 5:00 am local time (UTC/GMT +7 hours), Flight 3352 was preparing to land at Tsentralny Airport in Omsk, a key Russian city in southwestern Siberia, which has a population of over 1 million and is the administrative center of Omsk Oblast. At the time, this was the only aircraft approaching Omsk, and it was cleared for landing when it contacted the airport.^[2]^[4]

At 5:20 am, worried that the continuing rain would make the runway overly slippery, the airport ground maintenance crew requested permission to dry the runway. The ground controller on duty gave permission and proceeded to fall asleep soon after, in the process forgetting to switch on the "runway occupied" warning. Under airport regulations, this procedure should never have happened; permission to close and do maintenance on a runway could only be given by the chief controller, and he was absent.

The maintenance crew, following the airport's routine, moved three vehicles to the runway: a UAZ-469 all-terrain vehicle with an attached trailer, operated by a driver and crew manager in front; followed by KrAZ and Ural trucks. The latter were equipped with dry air compressors and loaded with fuel, and weighed 16–20 tons. The drying detail then proceeded to violate their own safety rules while performing their tasks: all of their vehicles should have their top, flickering lights on continuously. However, the lights were too bright for the maintenance workers' liking, so they kept them lit only until they started and after they finished their work.

This intentional oversight caused the pilots to be unable to see the vehicles on the runway from their position.^[2]^[4] In contrast, the runway crew saw the Tu-154 coming at them from a good distance, with its landing lights on. They did attempt to contact ground control three times about the lights, but received no response and so ignored them, thinking they were being tested by a plane not on final approach.^[2]^[4]

UAZ-469

Around 5:36 am, Flight 3352 requested permission to land from the approach controller. The request was sent twice; the pilots noticed vague contours on the runway and wanted to double check for obstacles. The controller verified the runway status, which remained apparently unoccupied, then contacted the ground controller and received no response. The approach controller subsequently contacted the flight controller on internal radio and received an inaudible reply reported to sound like "...bodna" (Russian: ...бодна), which was taken to mean "svobodna", meaning "free" (Russian: свободна; communications were being taped and were analyzed later). The approach controller cleared the landing, though unable to see the runway, and in spite of regulations that required him to keep the flight in the air and double check the runway's status. Both the ground controller and secondary controller should have been able to see the runway, but the former was asleep,^[1] and the latter was absent due to staff shortages.

At 5:38 am, the flight passed the lowest height at which the flight crew could abort the landing. The aircraft landed at a normal 240 km/h (149 mph/130 knots). On touchdown, the flight crew saw the array of drying vehicles and attempted to turn the aircraft, but were unable to avoid the collision. The plane crashed into the Ural truck and then 200 metres (220 yards) down the runway crashed into the KrAZ, igniting the 7 tons of fuel in each truck and the aircraft's fuel tank. The plane overturned and broke into pieces, some of which crashed into the UAZ-469. A catastrophic fracture of the fuel tanks caused burning fuel to leak into the fuselage, incinerating all but one passenger. The cockpit section detached and flew past the burning vehicles. It suffered no major damage, and all four crew members survived, suffering only minor injuries.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] They escaped from the cabin and ran to the crash site in an attempt to help the passengers. Four ground maintenance crew were killed instantly inside the vehicles. One survivor in the passenger seat of the UAZ caught on fire, which was extinguished.^[4]

Investigation[]

A state investigation concluded that the accident was caused by a chain of mistakes owing to the negligence of air traffic controllers, as well as disobedience of basic airport maintenance and safety regulations. The ground controller was found directly responsible, as he fell asleep on the job and thus did not respond to emergency queries; he also allowed the service trucks to move onto the runway and did not mark the runway as occupied. At a hearing he could not recollect his actions during the time in question, but did not deny the charges. He was sentenced to 15 years and committed suicide in prison.^[2]^[4] In addition, the flight operations manager was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the approach controller to 13 years, and the head of airport maintenance to 12 years.^[2] All three appealed their sentences, to no avail. Future inspections at numerous other Soviet airports also found similar types and numbers of violations of safety regulations, resulting in the firing of several high-level officials thereafter.^[4]

No pilot error or aircraft deficiency was found. The plane's weight and balance were within its defined norms. Due to poor visibility, the crew could not detect the obstructions on the runway. While they did have some reasonable doubts as to whether or not the runway was occupied, these were allayed by the approach controller's reassurances. The crew had only a few seconds to avoid the collision on the ground; they took evasive action, but could not possibly save the aircraft.^[5] They were thus absolved of any blame.

The flight and approach controllers were experienced professionals with at least 10 years of service. The ground controller on duty, who was 23 years old, was new. He supposedly had not had enough sleep in the days before the accident, having had to care for his two young children.

The formal hearing of the case occurred only three months after the accident, due to the obvious set of circumstances; most of that time was spent on identifying the victims and locating their relatives. All of the accused, as well as their attorneys, received threats and were moved to the hearings under heavy security.^[4]

Technical data and statistics[]

The Tupolev Tu-154B-1 was operated by Aeroflot (later becoming East Siberia). It was equipped with three Kuznetsov NK-8-2U engines, and first flew in 1977.

The flight carried 170 passengers, including 8 teenagers and 16 young children; 2700 kg (6000 lb) of luggage, 306 kg (670 lb) of post, and 1600 kg (3500 lb) of cargo.

The flight had a crew of 9. The captain was highly experienced, with 16,365 hours in the air (including 4,303 hours of night flights).^[5]

The flight was approaching Omsk in poor weather: light rain, visibility 3 km (2 miles) with a 100-metre (110-yard) ceiling.

At the time it took place, the accident was the deadliest one in Soviet aviation history. It was surpassed on 10 July 1985 by Aeroflot Flight 7425, another Tu-154, which crashed in Uzbek SSR (modern day Uzbekistan), and killed 200 people.^[1]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Черный 1984 [Black 1984] (in Russian). City of Omsk Web Portal. 23 August 2007. Archived from the original on 16 June 2007. Mirror: День памяти. Самая большая по числу жертв авиакатастрофа на территории России. omskpress.ru (10 November 2011)
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Катастрофа Ту-154Б-1 Толмачевского ОАО в а/п Омск [Accident Tu-154B-1 Tolmachevskogo JSC in a/p Omsk] (in Russian).
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Ту-154Б Омск 11.10.84 [Tu-154B Omsk 11.10.84] (in Russian). 1998. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Archived copy" Авиакатастрофы [Plane crash] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Coordinates: 54°58′00″N 73°18′30″E / 54.96667°N 73.30833°E / 54.96667; 73.30833

[ASN-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network.

[ru1-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Черный 1984 [Black 1984] (in Russian). City of Omsk Web Portal. 23 August 2007. Archived from the original on 16 June 2007. Mirror: День памяти. Самая большая по числу жертв авиакатастрофа на территории России. omskpress.ru (10 November 2011)

[ru2-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b Катастрофа Ту-154Б-1 Толмачевского ОАО в а/п Омск [Accident Tu-154B-1 Tolmachevskogo JSC in a/p Omsk] (in Russian).

[ru3-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Ту-154Б Омск 11.10.84 [Tu-154B Omsk 11.10.84] (in Russian). 1998. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007.

[ru4-5] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Archived copy" Авиакатастрофы [Plane crash] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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show v t Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union and Russia
This includes accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union, and Russia only. It does not include accidents in other post-Soviet states after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
1930s	Osoaviakhim-1 SSSR-V6 OSOAVIAKhIM
1950s	1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash Aeroflot Flight 4 1958 Aeroflot Tu-104 Kanash crash Aeroflot Flight 315 (1959) Aeroflot Flight 120
1960s	Aeroflot Flight 315 (1960) Aeroflot Flight 207 Austrian Airlines Flight 901 Aeroflot Flight 68 Aeroflot Flight 245 Aeroflot Flight 902 Aeroflot Flight 415 Aeroflot Flight 191 Aeroflot Flight 3 Aeroflot Flight 25 Aeroflot Flight 12 CCCP-45021 Aeroflot Flight 663 Aeroflot Flight 721 Aeroflot Flight 20/101 Aeroflot Flight 513 Aeroflot Flight 99 Aeroflot Flight 65 Aeroflot Flight 2723 Aeroflot Flight 5003 (1967) Aeroflot Flight 2230 Aeroflot Flight 51 Aeroflot Flight 15 Aeroflot Flight 831 Aeroflot Flight 826 1969 Yukhnov mid-air collision
1970s	Aeroflot Flight U-45 Aeroflot Flight 1661 CCCP-11000 CCCP-12996 Aeroflot Flight 1969 Aeroflot Flight 1912 Malév Flight 110 Aeroflot Flight 773 Aeroflot Flight 2174 Aeroflot Flight 1491 Aeroflot Flight 558 Aeroflot Flight 1036 Aeroflot Flight 217 Japan Airlines Flight 446 Aeroflot Flight 6263 Aeroflot Flight 141 Aeroflot Flight 630 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307 Aeroflot Flight 6551 Aeroflot Flight 109 Aeroflot Flight 13 Aeroflot Flight 3932 Aeroflot Flight 964 Aeroflot Flight 19 Aeroflot Flight 2022 CCCP-75559 1974 Surgut mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 2003 Aeroflot Flight 3739 (1976) Aeroflot Flight 909 Aeroflot Flight 1802 Aeroflot Flight 418 1976 Anapa mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 2415 Aeroflot Flight 36 (1976) Aeroflot Flight 3843 Aeroflot Flight 5003 (1977) Aeroflot Flight 331 CCCP-65639 Aeroflot Flight 2 Aeroflot Flight 6709 Korean Air Lines Flight 902 Aeroflot Flight 1080 Aeroflot Flight 1691 1979 Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 5484
1980s	Aeroflot Flight 4225 1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash Aeroflot Flight 498 1981 Armenia mid-air collision Aeroflot Flight 811 Aeroflot Flight 3603 Aeroflot Flight 8641 Aeroflot Flight 411 Aeroflot Flight 343 Aeroflot Flight 5463 Aeroflot Flight 601 Aeroflot Flight 3352 Aeroflot Flight 3519 Aeroflot Flight 7841 Aeroflot Flight 8381 Aeroflot Flight 7425 Aeroflot Flight 101/435 Aeroflot Flight 2306 Aeroflot Flight 6502 Aeroflot Flight 892 Aeroflot Flight 505 Aeroflot Flight 528 Aeroflot Flight 3739 (1988) Korean Air Lines Flight 007
1990s	Aeroflot Flight 2808 (1992) Sakha Avia Flight 301 (1993) Aeroflot Flight 593 (1994) Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023 (1997)
2000s	Vladivostok Air Flight 352 (2001) Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 (2001) Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9560 (2002) 2004 Russian aircraft bombings (2004) Armavia Flight 967 (2006) S7 Airlines Flight 778 (2006) Aeroflot Flight 821 (2008)
2010s	Smolensk air disaster (2010) Dagestan Airlines Flight 372 (2010) Kolavia Flight 348 (2011) RusAir Flight 9605 (2011) Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash (2011) Red Wings Airlines Flight 9268 (2012) Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363 (2013) 2014 Vnukovo Airport Falcon 50 crash (2014) Metrojet Flight 9268 (2015) Flydubai Flight 981 (2016) 2016 Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash (2016) Khabarovsk Airlines Flight 463 (2017) Saratov Airlines Flight 703 (2018) Aeroflot Flight 1492 (2019) Angara Airlines Flight 200 (2019) Ural Airlines Flight 178 (2019)
2020s	Volga-Dnepr Airlines Flight 4066 (2020)

Aeroflot Flight 3352

Contents

Accident details[]

Investigation[]

Technical data and statistics[]

See also[]

References[]