Tupolev Tu-154

Tu-154
The Tu-154 is a low-wing, trijet airliner
Role	Narrow-body jet airliner
National origin	Soviet Union and Russian Federation
Manufacturer	Tupolev
Designer	Tupolev Design Bureau
First flight	4 October 1968; 52 years ago (1968-10-04)
Introduction	7 February 1972 with Aeroflot
Status	In limited service
Primary users	Russian Air Force People's Liberation Army Air Force Air Koryo
Produced	1968–2013[1]
Number built	1,026
Variants	Tupolev Tu-155

The Tupolev Tu-154 (Russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian airlines for several decades, it carried half of all passengers flown by Aeroflot and its subsidiaries (137.5 million/year or 243.8 billion passenger km in 1990), remaining the standard domestic-route airliner of Russia and former Soviet states until the mid-2000s. It was exported to 17 non-Russian airlines and used as a head-of-state transport by the air forces of several countries.

The aircraft has a cruising speed of 850 kilometres per hour (530 mph)^[2] and a range of 5,280 kilometres (3,280 mi). Capable of operating from unpaved and gravel airfields with only basic facilities, it was widely used in the extreme Arctic conditions of Russia's northern/eastern regions where other airliners were unable to operate. Originally designed for a 45,000-hour service life (18,000 cycles) but capable of 80,000 hours with upgrades, it was expected to continue in service until 2016, although noise regulations have restricted flights to western Europe and other regions.

Development[]

Tu-154 for Russian Ministry of Defence Manufacturing, 2009. One of several airframes built in the 1990s and left unsold

The Tu-154 was developed to meet Aeroflot's requirement to replace the jet-powered Tu-104 and the Antonov An-10 and Ilyushin Il-18 turboprops. The requirements called for either a payload capacity of 16–18 tonnes (35,000–40,000 lb) with a range of 2,850–4,000 kilometres (1,770–2,490 mi) while cruising at 900 km/h (560 mph), or a payload of 5.8 tonnes (13,000 lb) with a range of 5,800–7,000 kilometres (3,600–4,300 mi) while cruising at 850 km/h (530 mph). A takeoff distance of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) at maximum takeoff weight was also stipulated as a requirement. Conceptually similar to the British Hawker Siddeley Trident, which first flew in 1962, and the American Boeing 727, which first flew in 1963, the medium-range Tu-154 was marketed by Tupolev at the same time as Ilyushin was marketing the long-range Ilyushin Il-62. The Soviet Ministry of Aircraft Industry chose the Tu-154 as it incorporated the latest in Soviet aircraft design and best met Aeroflot's anticipated requirements for the 1970s and 1980s.^[3]

The first project chief was Sergey Yeger [ru]; in 1964, Dmitryi S. Markov [ru] assumed that position. In 1975, the project lead role was turned over to Aleksandr S. Shengardt [ru].^[4]

The Tu-154 first flew on 4 October 1968. The first deliveries to Aeroflot were in 1970 with freight (mail) services beginning in May 1971 and passenger services in February 1972. There was still limited production of the 154M model as of January 2009 despite previous announcements of the end of production in 2006.^[5] 1025 Tu-154s have been built, 214 of which were still in service as of 14 December 2009.^[6] The last serial Tu-154 was delivered to the Russian Defense Ministry on 19 February 2013^[7] from the Aviakor factory, equipped with upgraded avionics, a VIP interior and a communications suite. The factory has four unfinished hulls in its inventory which can be completed if new orders are received.^[8]

Design[]

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Tupolev Tu-154B-1 of Palair Macedonian at Zurich Airport in 1992

The Tu-154 is powered by three rear-mounted low-bypass turbofan engines arranged similarly to those of the Boeing 727, but it is slightly larger than its American counterpart. Both the 727 and the Tu-154 use an S-duct for the middle (Number 2) engine. The original model was equipped with Kuznetsov NK-8-2 engines, which were replaced with Soloviev D-30KU-154 in the Tu-154M. All Tu-154 aircraft models have a relatively high thrust-to-weight-ratio, giving the type excellent performance, though at the expense of lower fuel efficiency. This became an important factor in later decades as fuel costs grew.^{[citation needed]}

The cockpit is fitted with conventional dual yoke control columns. Flight control surfaces are hydraulically operated.

The cabin of the Tu-154, although of the same six-abreast seating layout, gives the impression of an oval interior, with a lower ceiling than is common on Boeing and Airbus airliners. The passenger cabin accommodates 128 passengers in a two-class layout and 164 passengers in single-class layout, and up to 180 passengers in high-density layout. The layout can be modified to what is called a winter version where some seats are taken out and a wardrobe is installed for passenger coats. The passenger doors are smaller than on its Boeing and Airbus counterparts. Luggage space in the overhead compartments is very limited.

Like the Tupolev Tu-134, the Tu-154 has a wing swept back at 35° at the quarter-chord line. The British Hawker Siddeley Trident has the same sweepback angle, while the Boeing 727 has a slightly smaller sweepback angle of 32°. The wing also has anhedral (downward sweep) which is a distinguishing feature of Russian low-wing airliners designed during this era. Most Western low-wing airliners such as the contemporary Boeing 727 have dihedral (upward sweep). The anhedral means that Russian airliners have poor lateral stability compared to their Western counterparts, but also are more resistant to Dutch roll tendencies.

Considerably heavier than its predecessor Soviet-built airliner the Ilyushin Il-18, the Tu-154 was equipped with an oversized landing gear to reduce ground load, enabling it to operate from the same runways. The aircraft has two six-wheel main bogies fitted with large low-pressure tires that retract into pods extending from the trailing edges of the wings (a common Tupolev feature), plus a two-wheel nosegear unit. Soft oleo struts (shock absorbers) provide a much smoother ride on bumpy airfields than most airliners, which very rarely operate on such poor surfaces.

The original requirement was to have a three-person flight crew – captain, first officer and flight engineer – as opposed to a four- or five-person crew, as on other Soviet airliners. It became evident that a fourth crew member, a navigator, was still needed, and a seat was added on production aircraft, although their workstation was compromised due to the limitations of the original design. Navigators are no longer trained and this profession is becoming obsolete with the retirement of the oldest Soviet-era planes.

The latest variant (Tu-154M-100, introduced 1998) includes an NVU-B3 Doppler navigation system, a triple autopilot, which provides an automatic ILS approach according to ICAO category II weather minima, an autothrottle, a Doppler drift and speed measure system (DISS), and a "Kurs-MP" radio navigation suite.^{[citation needed]} A stability and control augmentation system improves handling characteristics during manual flight. Modern upgrades normally include modernised TCAS, GPS, and other systems (mostly American-made or EU-made).

Early versions of the Tu-154 cannot be modified to meet the current Stage III noise regulations and are no longer allowed to fly into airspace where such regulations are enforced, such as the European Union. However, the Tu-154M's D-30 engines can be fitted with hush kits, allowing them to meet noise regulations.

Variants[]

Aeroflot Tu-154 over the Volga River

TAROM Tu-154B-1

Chernomor-Avia Tu-154B-2

Tu-154B-2 of Cubana

Uzbekistan Airways Tu-154M

Iran Air Tours Tu-154M

Many variants of this airliner have been built. Like its Western counterpart, the 727, many of the Tu-154s in service have been hush-kitted, and some converted to freighters.

Tu-154

Tu-154 production started in 1970, and the first passenger flight was performed on 9 February 1972. Powered by Kuznetsov NK-8-2 turbofans, it carried 164 passengers. About 42 were built.

Tu-154A

The first upgraded version of the original Tu-154, the A model, in production since 1974, added center-section fuel tanks and more emergency exits, while engines were upgraded to higher-thrust Kuznetsov NK-8-2U. Other upgrades include automatic flaps/slats and stabilizer controls and modified avionics. Max. takeoff weight – 94,000 kg (207,000 lb). There were 15 different interior layouts for the different domestic and international customers, seating between 144 and 152 passengers. To discern the A model from the base model note the spike at the junction of the fin and tail. This is a fat bullet on the A model, and a slender spike on the base model.^[9]

Tu-154B

As the original Tu-154 and Tu-154A suffered wing cracks after a few years in service, a version with a new, stronger wing, designated Tu-154B, went into production in 1975. It also had an additional fuselage fuel tank, additional emergency exits in the tail. Also, the maximum takeoff weight increased to 98,000 kg (216,000 lb). Important to Aeroflot was the increased passenger capacity, hence lower operating costs. With the NK-8-2U engines the only way to improve the economics of the airplane was to spread costs across more seats.^[10] The autopilot was certified for ICAO Category II automatic approaches. Most previously built Tu-154 and Tu-154A were also modified into this variant, with the replacement of the wing. Maximum takeoff weight increased to 96,000 kg (212,000 lb). 111 were built.

Tu-154B-1

Aeroflot wanted this version for increased revenue on domestic routes. It carried 160 passengers. This version also had some minor modifications to the fuel system, avionics, air conditioning, and landing gear. 64 were built from 1977 to 1978.

Tu-154B-2

A minor modernization of Tu-154B-1. The airplane was designed to be converted from the 160 passenger version to a 180 passenger version by removing the galley.^[11] The procedure took about 2 1/2 hours. Some of the earlier Tu-154Bs were modified to that standard. Maximum takeoff weight increased to 98,000 kg (216,000 lb), later to 100,000 kg (220,000 lb). Some 311 aircraft were built, including VIP versions. A few remain in service.

Tu-154S

The Tu-154S is an all-cargo or freighter version of the Tu-154B, using a strengthened floor, and adding a forward cargo door on the port side of the fuselage. The aircraft could carry nine Soviet PAV-3 pallets. Maximum payload – 20,000 kg (44,000 lb). There were plans for 20 aircraft, but only nine were converted, two from Tu-154 models and seven from Tu-154B models. Trials were held in the early 1980s and the aircraft was authorized regular operations in 1984. By 1997 all had been retired.^[12]

Tu-154M

The Tu-154M and Tu-154M Lux are the most highly upgraded versions, which first flew in 1982 and entered mass production in 1984. It uses more fuel-efficient Soloviev D-30KU-154 turbofans. Together with significant aerodynamic refinement, this led to much lower fuel consumption hence longer range, as well as lower operating costs. The aircraft has new double-slotted (instead of triple-slotted) flaps, with an extra 36-degree position (in addition to existing 15, 28 and 45-degree positions on older versions), which allows reduction of noise on approach. It also has a relocated auxiliary power unit and numerous other improvements. Maximum takeoff weight increased first to 100,000 kg (220,000 lb), then to 102,000 kg (225,000 lb). Some aircraft are certified to 104,000 kg (229,000 lb). About 320 were manufactured. Mass production ended in 2006, though limited manufacturing continued as of January 2009. No new airframes have been built since the early 1990s, and production since then involved assembling aircraft from components on hand.^[13] Chinese Tu-154MD electronic intelligence aircraft carry a large-size synthetic aperture radar (SAR) under their mainframe.^[14][15]

Tu-154M-LK-1

Cosmonaut trainer. This was a salon VIP aircraft modified to train cosmonauts to fly the Buran reusable spacecraft, the Soviet equivalent of the US Space Shuttle. The Tu-154 was used because the Buran required a steep descent, which the Tu-154 was capable of replicating. The cabin featured trainee workstations, one of which was identical to the Buran's flightdeck. The forward baggage compartment was converted into a camera bay, as the aircraft was used to train cosmonauts in observation and photographic techniques.^[16]

Tu-154M-ON monitoring aircraft

Germany modified one of the Tu-154s it inherited from the former East German Air Force into an observation airplane. This aircraft was involved with the Open Skies inspection flights. It was converted at the Elbe Aircraft Plant (Elbe Flugzeugwerke) in Dresden, and flew in 1996. After 24 monitoring missions, it was lost in a mid-air collision in 1997.^[17]

The Russians also converted a Tu-154M to serve as an Open Skies monitoring aircraft. They used the Tu-154M-LK-1, and converted it to a Tu-154M-ON. When not flying over North America, it is used to ferry cosmonauts. China is believed^{[according to whom?]} to have converted one Tu-154 to an electronic countermeasures aircraft.^[18]

Tu-154M-100

Design of this variant started in 1994, but the first aircraft were not delivered until 1998. It is an upgraded version with Western avionics, including the Flight Management Computer, GPS, EGPWS, TCAS, and other modern systems. The airplane could carry up to 157 passengers. The cabin featured an automatic oxygen system and larger overhead bins. Three were produced, as payment of debts owed by Russia to Slovakia. Three aircraft were delivered in 1998 to Slovak Airlines, and sold back to Russia in 2003.^[19]

Tu-155

A Tu-154 converted into a testbed for alternative fuels. It first flew in 1988 and was used until the fall of the Soviet Union, when it was placed in storage.

Tu-164

Initial designation of the Tu-154M.

Tu-174

Proposed stretched version of Tu-154.

Tu-194

Proposed shortened version of Tu-154.

Operators[]

Current operators[]

Atlant-Soyuz Airlines Tu-154M

Russian Air Force Tu-154B-2

Former Slovak Government Flying Service Tu-154M

Azerbaijan Airlines Tu-154M

Kyrgyzstan Government Tu-154M

Belavia Tu-154M

Bulgarian Air Charter Tu-154M

Stuttgart Airport Authority Tu-154B-2

As of August 2017, there were 44^[20] Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft of all variants still in civil or military service. A 45th aircraft has been sighted flying with Air Kyrgyzstan in 2017,^[21] but is not listed by the airline as part of its fleet. A 46th aircraft, a Polish Tu-154 with operational number 102, is currently in storage at the military airport in Mińsk Mazowiecki. It was operated by 36th Special Aviation Regiment, but after the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash of the Tu-154 101, the Regiment has been disbanded and the plane was grounded. It was fully operational, but the government decided not to use or sell it until the investigation into the Smoleńsk crash is finished. As of June 2021 the aircraft is not flying, and it is unlikely to come back into service, since the government operates a fleet of brand-new, more fuel-efficient jets like the Gulfstream G550 and the Boeing 737 NG. in 2020 it was revealed that the aircraft was structurally damaged by the investigation team lead by Antoni Macierewicz. The access to the aircraft was restricted by the general prosecutor, and entering its hangar requires a special permission. In January 2010 Russian flag carrier Aeroflot announced the retirement of its Tu-154 fleet after 40 years, with the last scheduled flight being Aeroflot Flight 736 from Yekaterinburg to Moscow on 31 December 2009.^[22] In December 2010, Uzbekistan Airways also declared that it was retiring its Tu-154s.^[23]

In February 2011, all remaining Iranian Tu-154s were grounded after two incidents.^[24][25] In October 2020 ALROSA, the last Russian passenger airline to operate this aircraft, retired its last remaining Tu-154.^[26]

The remaining operators are:^[27]

Airline	In service	Notes
Air Koryo	4	Main Passenger operator
Kaz Air Trans	3	Used for charter flights
Air Kyrgyzstan	2	1 used for Gov't
Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan	1
Federal Security Service	2
Gromov Flight Research Institute	1
People's Liberation Army Air Force	12[28]	Six of them are of ELINT versions with synthetic aperture radar and six–eight of them are airliners
Russian Air Force	16
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs	4	Operated for the government
Russian Navy	2
Chaplygin Siberian Scientific Research Institute Of Aviation (SibNIA)	1
Yuri A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center	1
Total:	49

On 27 December 2016, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that it had grounded all of its Tu-154s until the end of the investigation into the December 2016 crash of a 1983 Tupolev Tu-154.^[29] This was followed by the grounding of all Tu-154s in Russia.^[30][31] The Tu-154 had crashed into the Black Sea just after takeoff from Sochi, Russia, on 25 December 2016 killing all 92 people on board, including 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, an official army choir of the Russian Armed Forces.^[30][31]

Former operators[]

Former civil operators[]

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Former military operators[]

Polish military VIP transport Tu-154M Lux aircraft from the dissolved 36th Special Air Transport Regiment. This one crashed in heavy fog at Smolensk North Airport on 10 April 2010, killing all occupants, including the Polish President

Incidents and accidents[]

Between 1970 and December 2016 there were 110 serious incidents involving the Tu-154,^[34] including 73 hull losses,^[35] with 2,911 fatalities.^[36] Of the fatal incidents, five resulted from terrorist or military terrorist action (two other wartime losses were non-fatal), several from poor runway conditions in winter (including one in which the airplane struck snow plows on the runway), cargo overloading in the lapse of post-Soviet federal safety standards, and mid-air collisions due to faulty air traffic control. Other incidents resulted from mechanical problems, running out of fuel on unscheduled routes, pilot errors (including inadequate flight training for new crews), and cargo fires; several accidents remain unexplained.

On 2 January 2011, Russia's Federal Transport Oversight Agency advised airlines to stop using remaining examples of the Tu-154 (B variant) until the fatal fire incident in Surgut had been investigated.^[37] Its operation in Iran ceased in February 2011 due to a number of crashes and incidents involving the type (almost 9% of all Tu-154 losses have occurred in Iran). This grounding compounded the effects of US embargo on civil aircraft parts, substantially decreasing the number of airworthy aircraft in the Iranian civil fleet.^[38] In 2010 there were two fatal losses of the Tu-154 due to pilot error and/or weather conditions (a Polish presidential jet attempting a rural airfield landing in heavy fog, the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash, and a Russian-registered plane that suffered engine stall after a crew member accidentally de-activated a fuel transfer pump). Following these accidents, in March 2011 the Russian Federal Bureau of Aviation recommended a withdrawal of remaining Tu-154Ms from service.^[39]

On 27 December 2016, the Russian Defence Ministry grounded all Tu-154s in Russia pending investigation into the 25 December 2016 Tupolev Tu-154 crash which killed 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, an official Red Army Choir of the Russian Armed Forces.^[29]

List[]

Date	Tail number	Aircraft type	Location	Fatalities	Description	Refs
19 February 1973	CCCP-85023	Tu-154	Ruzyne International Airport	66/100	Aeroflot Flight 141 crashed 467 m (1,532 ft) short of the runway; the cause was not determined.	[40][41]
7 May 1973	CCCP-85030	Tu-154	Vnukovo Airport	0/6	Force-landed during a training flight following loss of engine power and severe vibrations after the aircraft took off with the inner spoilers deployed.	[42]
10 July 1974	SU-AXB	Tu-154	Cairo International Airport	6/6	Stalled and crashed during a training flight.	[43]
30 September 1975	HA-LCI	Tu-154B-2	Beirut	60/60	Malév Flight 240 crashed in the sea on final approach in clear weather, allegedly shot down by one or two air-to-air missiles fired by either IDF or SDF forces.	[44]
1 June 1976	CCCP-85102	Tu-154A	Bioko	46/46	Aeroflot Flight 418 crashed into a mountain on final approach; radar failure was blamed.	[45]
1976	CCCP-85020	Tu-154	Kyiv	0	Rough landing, written off. This aircraft is now in the Ukraine Government Museum of Aviation.	[46]
2 December 1977	LZ-BTN	Tu-154A	near Benghazi	59/165	Crashed due to fuel exhaustion while searching for an alternate airport after diverting due to fog. The aircraft was leased from Balkan Bulgarian Airlines.	[47]
23 March 1978	LZ-BTB	Tu-154B	near Damascus	4/4	Crashed into high ground on final approach.	[48]
19 May 1978	CCCP-85169	Tu-154B	near Maksatikha	4/134	Aeroflot Flight 6709 crashed in a field after all three engines failed after the flight engineer accidentally shut off the automatic transferring of fuel of the sump tank.	[49]
30 June 1979	P-551	Tu-154B	Ferihegy International Airport	0	A Chosonminhang (predecessor to Air Koryo, North Korea's national airline) charter flight stalled while landing due to pilot error. The right landing gear collapsed and the right wing hit the ground, sustaining damage to the wing structure. The aircraft was subsequently repaired and returned to service.	[50]
1 March 1980	CCCP-85103	Tu-154A	Orenburg Airport	0/161	Landed hard and broke in two after the crew deviated from the glide path while on approach.	[51]
8 July 1980	CCCP-85355	Tu-154B-2	Alma-Ata	166/166	Aeroflot Flight 4225 stalled and crashed on climb out after entering a downdraft. This accident remains the worst in Kazakhstan.	[52]
7 August 1980	YR-TPH	Tu-154B-1	Nouadhibou Airport	1/168	Ditched 300 m (980 ft) short of the runway.	[53]
8 October 1980	CCCP-85321	Tu-154B-2	Chita Airport	0/184	Hard landing resulting in the separation of the tail section. Occurred as a result of a steep approach.	[54] photo
13 June 1981	CCCP-85029	Tu-154	Bratsk Airport	0	Overran the runway on landing and broke in two.	[55]
21 October 1981	HA-LCF	Tu-154B	Ruzyne Airport	0/81	Malev Flight 641 crashed on the runway and broke in two after deploying the spoilers at low altitude following a too-high approach.	[56]
16 November 1981	CCCP-85480	Tu-154B-2	Norilsk Airport	99/167	Aeroflot Flight 3603 crashed 470 m short of runway due to overloading and crew error.	[57]
11 October 1984	CCCP-85243	Tu-154B-1	Omsk Airport	4+174/179	Aeroflot Flight 3352 crashed after colliding with maintenance vehicles on the runway due to ATC error. ATC personnel received prison sentences of 12–15 years. This accident is the second deadliest in Soviet history and remains the deadliest on Russian soil.	[58]
23 December 1984	CCCP-85338	Tu-154B-2	Krasnoyarsk Airport	110/111	Aeroflot Flight 3519 crashed following double engine failure and in-flight fire.	[59]
10 July 1985	CCCP-85311	Tu-154B-2	Uchkuduk	200/200	Aeroflot Flight 7425 stalled and crashed due to crew errors and fatigue. This accident is the deadliest in Soviet history, the deadliest in Uzbekistan, and deadliest accident involving the Tu-154.	[60]
21 May 1986	CCCP-85327	Tu-154B-2	Domodedovo	0	Deformation of fuselage due to crew errors during flight after the crew forgot to turn on the pitot heating system.	[61]
18 January 1988	CCCP-85254	Tu-154B-1	Krasnovodsk Airport	11/143	Broke in three following a heavy landing.	[62]
8 March 1988	CCCP-85413	Tu-154B-2	Veshchevo	9/84	Aeroflot Flight 3739 was hijacked by the Ovechkin family.	[63]
24 September 1988	CCCP-85479	Tu-154B-2	Aleppo Airport	0/168	Landed hard and left the runway after encountering light turbulence on approach.	[64]
13 January 1989	CCCP-85067	Tu-154S	Roberts International Airport	0	Overran runway and crashed following a rejected takeoff due to shifting cargo and overloading.	[65]
9 February 1989	YR-TPJ	Tu-154B-2	Bucharest	5/5	Crashed on takeoff due to engine failure during a training flight.	[66]
20 October 1990	CCCP-85268	Tu-154B-2	Kutaisi Airport	0/171	Failed to takeoff and overran runway due to overloading and center of gravity problems; written off.	[67]
17 November 1990	CCCP-85664	Tu-154M	near Velichovky	0/6	Force-landed following a fire in the cargo hold and broke apart on landing.	[68]
23 May 1991	CCCP-85097	Tu-154B-1	Pulkovo Airport	2+13/178	Landed hard short of the runway, collapsing the right landing gear and broke apart after coming in too fast in rain.	[69]
14 September 1991	CU-T1227	Tu-154B-2	Benito Juarez International Airport	0/112	Cubana Flight 464 landed too late and overran the runway due to pilot error and poor visibility.	[70]
5 June 1992	LZ-BTD	Tu-154B	Varna Airport	0/130	Landed too late and overran the runway in bad weather.	[71]
June 1992	RA-85282	Tu-154B-1	Bratsk Airport	0/0	Burned out during refueling. A second Tu-154 (RA-85234) also burned out.	[72][73]
20 July 1992	85222	Tu-154B	Tbilisi	4+24/24	Failed to take off due to overloading and center of gravity problems, overran the runway, striking the localizer building, and ended up in a ravine.	[74]
1 August 1992	YA-TAP	Tu-154M	Kabul Airport	0/0	Destroyed during a mortar attack. The aircraft had been parked at the airport for repairs following an incident three months earlier.	[75]
5 September 1992	CCCP-85269	Tu-154B-1	Borispol Airport	0/147	Emergency landing after the left main landing gear failed to extend.	[76]
13 October 1992	CCCP-85528	Tu-154B-2	Vladivostok Airport	0/67	Failed to take off and overran the runway due to overloading and center of gravity problems.	[77]
5 December 1992	CCCP-85105	Tu-154A	Yerevan Airport	0/154	Veered off the runway on landing after the pilot mistook the runway edge lights for the centerline lights.	[78]
9 January 1993	85533	Tu-154B-2	Indira Gandhi International Airport	0/165	Indian Airlines Flight 840 crashed on landing after striking some installations next to the runway; the tail and right wing later separated and the aircraft came to rest upside down. The aircraft was leased from Uzbekistan Airways due to a pilot strike at Indian Airlines.	[79]
8 February 1993	EP-ITD	Tu-154M	near Tehran	2+131/131	Mid-air collision.	[80]
	Un­known	Su-24
22 September 1993	85163	Tu-154B	Babusheri Airport	108/132	Shot down and crashed on the runway. The accident remains the worst in Georgia.	[81]
23 September 1993	85359	Tu-154B-2	Babusheri Airport	Un­known	Written off after suffering damage from mortar or artillery fire.	[82]
25 December 1993	RA-85296	Tu-154B-2	Grozny Airport	0/172	Nosegear collapsed after landing in bad weather.	[83]
3 January 1994	RA-85656	Tu-154M	near Mamony	1+124/124	Baikal Airlines Flight 130 crashed after an in-flight fire that started in the number two engine, caused by a starter failure.	[84]
6 June 1994	B-2610	Tu-154M	Xian	160/160	China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 broke apart in mid-air and crashed shortly after takeoff due to a maintenance error. The crash remains the worst in China.	[85]
21 January 1995	UN-85455	Tu-154B-2	Karachi	0/117	Failed to take off and overran the runway due to overloading.	[86]
7 December 1995	RA-85164	Tu-154B	near Khabarovsk	98/98	Khabarovsk United Air Group Flight 3949 crashed into a mountain following a loss of control after fuel was selected from the left wing tanks to counter a left wing-low attitude.	[87]
29 August 1996	RA-85621	Tu-154M	Operafjellet	141/141	Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 crashed into a mountain on final approach due to navigation errors. This accident remains the worst in Norway.	[88]
13 September 1997	11+02	Tu-154M	off Namibia	33/33	German Air Force Flight 074 collided in mid-air with a USAF C-141 due to pilot and ATC errors.	[89][90]
	65-9405	C-141
15 December 1997	EY-85281	Tu-154B-1	Sharjah	85/86	Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 crashed in the desert due to pilot error and crew fatigue.	[91]
29 August 1998	CU-T1264	Tu-154M	Quito	10+70/91	Cubana de Aviación Flight 389 failed to take off and overran the runway, crashing into a soccer field. Following problems before takeoff, the crew had forgotten to select the switches for the hydraulic valves of the control system.	[92]
24 February 1999	B-2622	Tu-154M	Ruian	61/61	China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509 lost control and crashed after incorrect nuts in the elevator control system fell off, due to improper maintenance. China removed the Tu-154 from service following this accident.	[93]
4 July 2000	HA-LCR	Tu-154B-2	Thessaloniki	0/76	Malév Flight 262 touched down wheels-up while landing and skidded on runway, but was able to take off and land normally after a go-around.	[94]
4 July 2001	RA-85845	Tu-154M		145/145	Vladivostok Air Flight 352 stalled and crashed on final approach due to pilot error.	[95]
4 October 2001	RA-85693	Tu-154M	Black Sea off Sochi	78/78	Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 was accidentally shot down by an errant Ukrainian S-200 surface-to-air missile.	[96]
12 February 2002	EP-MBS	Tu-154M	near Sarab-e Do Rah	119/119	Iran Air Tours Flight 956 struck a mountain on approach.	[97]
20 February 2002	EP-LBX	Tu-154M	Mashhad International Airport	0	Landed hard, suffering substantial damage. The aircraft was ferried to Vnukovo for repairs where the nose gear collapsed while the aircraft was being towed. The aircraft was written off and used for spare parts.	[98]
1 July 2002	RA-85816	Tu-154M	over Überlingen	2+69/69	Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 collided in mid-air with DHL Flight 611 due to errors of communication between instruction from ATC and Traffic collision avoidance system.	[99][100]
	A9C-DHL	757-200
24 August 2004	RA-85556	Tu-154B-2	near	46/46	Sibir Airlines Flight 1047 crashed after it was bombed in mid-air by a suicide bomber, along with a Tu-134 on the same day.	[101]
22 August 2006	RA-85185	Tu-154M	near Donetsk	170/170	Pulkovo Airlines Flight 612 stalled and crashed after the crew attempted to fly over a storm front. The aircraft entered turbulence and later stalled. The aircraft entered a flat spin and then struck the ground.	[102]
1 September 2006	EP-MCF	Tu-154M	Mashhad International Airport	28/148	Iran Air Tours Flight 945 suffered a mishap while landing, possibly due to a blown nosegear tire. The aircraft swerved off the runway.	[103]
30 June 2008	RA-85667	Tu-154M	Pulkovo Airport	0/112	Aeroflot Flight 846 had its number one engine suffer an uncontained failure during takeoff and takeoff was aborted. The aircraft was parked at Pulkovo Airport after the incident and was broken up in August 2009.	[104]
15 July 2009	EP-CPG	Tu-154M	near Qazvin	168/168	Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 lost control and crashed following an engine fire.	[105]
24 January 2010	RA-85787	Tu-154M	Mashhad International Airport	0/170	Taban Air Flight 6437 crashed on landing after the captain declared a medical emergency due to a seriously ill passenger on board. The aircraft was leased from Kolavia.	[106]
10 April 2010	101	Tu-154M	near Smolensk	96/96	Crashed on final approach in thick fog on an airfield without ILS. Polish President Lech Kaczyński and other high-ranking officials were on board and died in the crash.	[107]
7 September 2010	RA-85684	Tu-154M	Izhma Airport	0/81	Alrosa Flight 514 made an emergency landing at a remote disused airfield after a total electrical failure in cruise, overran the runway and was damaged, but no-one was injured. In 2011, the aircraft was repaired, flown out and returned to service.	[108]
4 December 2010	RA-85744	Tu-154M	Domodedovo Airport	2/170	Dagestan Airlines Flight 372 made an emergency landing after two engines failed shortly after takeoff; full of fuel. Overran the runway and broke up into three. The accident investigation revealed that a crew member had mistakenly switched off a fuel transfer pump thereby causing fuel-starvation and subsequent engine flameout.	[109]
1 January 2011	RA-85588	Tu-154B-2	Surgut International Airport	3/124	Kolavia Flight 348 caught fire while taxiing for takeoff.	[110]
29 April 2011	RA-85563	Tu-154B-2	Chkalovsky Airport	0	The aircraft suffered a control failure on its first flight after long-term storage. Despite severe Dutch roll, it landed safely, overrunning the runway but seemingly incurring no damage.	[111][112]
25 December 2016	RA-85572	Tu-154B-2	Black Sea, just off Sochi	92/92	Russian Defence Ministry flight crashed en route to Khmeimim, Syria, killing all 92 people on board, including 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, an official army choir of the Russian Armed Forces	[30][31]

Aircraft on display[]

CCCP-85020 at the Ukraine State Aviation Museum

HA-LCR next to the airport fire station at Thessaloniki International Airport, in April 2018

• CCCP-85020 a Tu-154 at the Ukraine State Aviation Museum.^{[113][failed verification]}
• EW-85581 a Tu-154B-2 in the grounds of Minsk National Airport in Belarus.^{[citation needed]}
• HA-LCG a Tu-154B-2 at the Aeropark museum in Budapest.^[114]
• HA-LCA a Tu-154B-2 at the Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport
• LZ-BTU a Tu-154B-2 at the Aviomuseum Burgas museum in Burgas, Bulgaria.^{[115][failed verification]}
• OK-BYZ a Tu-154M at the Aviation Museum Kunovice, Czech Republic^[116]
• OM BYO a Tu-154M at the Museum of Aviation in Košice, Slovakia^[117]

Specifications[]

^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture[]

• Tu-154 is the most popular airliner appearing in many Soviet and Russian films.^{[citation needed]}
• Air Crew is the 1979 action film revolving around the exploits of a Soviet Tu-154 crew on an international flight, the first Soviet film in the disaster genre.

See also[]

Related development

• Tupolev Tu-155
• Tupolev Tu-204

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Boeing 727
• Hawker Siddeley Trident
• Yakovlev Yak-42

Related lists

• List of civil aircraft
• List of jet airliners

References[]

Citations[]

Bibliography[]

• Dmitriy Komissarov, Tupolev Tu-154, The USSR's Medium-Range Jet Airliner, (Hinckley, UK, 2007) ISBN 1857802411
• Yefin Gordon and Vladimir Rigmant, OKB Tupolev, A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft, translated by Alexander Boyd, edited by Dmitriy Komissarov (Hinckley, UK, 2005) ISBN 1-85780-214-4

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tupolev Tu-154.

• Image of Tu-154M flight-deck
• BBC: Tu-154: The backbone of Russian fleets
• Gallery of Polish VIP variant of Tu-154M used by 36. Special Transport Aviation Regiment in Plastikowe.pl magazine