Aeroflot Flight 3603

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (June 2016) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:RU:Катастрофа Ту-154 в Норильске]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated|RU|Катастрофа Ту-154 в Норильске}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Aeroflot Flight 3603

An Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154 similar to the one that crashed
Accident
Date	17 November 1981 (1981-11-17)
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
Site	Noril'sk Airport, Noril'sk, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Union 69°17′37.68″N 87°18′2.52″E / 69.2938000°N 87.3007000°E / 69.2938000; 87.3007000Coordinates: 69°17′37.68″N 87°18′2.52″E / 69.2938000°N 87.3007000°E / 69.2938000; 87.3007000
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154B-2
Operator	Aeroflot
Registration	CCCP-85480
Flight origin	Krasnoyarsk Airport
Destination	Noril'sk Airport
Occupants	167
Passengers	160
Crew	7
Fatalities	99
Survivors	68

Aeroflot Flight 3603 was a Tupolev Tu-154 operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Krasnoyarsk to Noril'sk, both in the Soviet Union, that crashed while attempting to land on 17 November 1981. Of the 167 passengers and crew on board, 99 were killed in the accident.^[1]

Accident[]

It was dark and there was a low overcast with a cloud base of around 400 feet (120 m) when the Tupolev Tu-154 began its approach to Noril'sk Airport. The aircraft was about 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) above its calculated weight and its center of gravity was beyond the forward limit for the type. The nose heavy condition caused Flight 3603 to descend through the glide path as it made its final approach. Flight 3603's captain initiated a go-around maneuver but the jetliner struck a mound approximately 1,500 feet (460 m) short of the runway.^[2] Four crew members plus 95 passengers were killed in the accident.^[3]

Causes[]

The primary cause of the accident was the failure of the crew to accurately calculate the appropriate landing weight, failing to align with the runway at the proper approach speed, failing to abort the landing and go-around in time, and failing to maintain control of the auto-throttle.^[4]

References[]