The Il-18V, with tail number CCCP-75757 (factory number 181003202, serial number 032-02), was manufactured by MMZ "Znamya Truda" in 1961 and delivered to the Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet, which assigned it to the Armenian separate air group GVG. The aircraft's cabin had a seating capacity of 84. At the time of the accident, the airliner had logged 593 flight hours.[1][2]
Background
This aircraft was operating a passenger flight from Moscow (Vnukovo) to Yerevan. However, from December 29 to December 31, adverse weather conditions prevailed in the Caucasus region, leading to the closure of many airports. The Yerevan airport was also closed, so CCCP-75757 landed at an alternate airport — Tbilisi. Due to the prolonged airport closures, many passengers opted to return their tickets and travel by ground transport. By December 31, around 500 passengers had gathered at the Tbilisi airport.[2]
The Crash
By the evening of December 31, the Mineralnye Vody Airport was reopened, prompting the Georgian Directorate of the CAF to contact the Armenian separate air group to request the use of two idle Armenian Il-18 aircraft in Tbilisi for additional flights to Mineralnye Vody, which could help ease the congestion at the Tbilisi airport. The Armenian leadership initially refused but eventually agreed when they realized that the Yerevan airport would not reopen soon.[2]
One of the selected aircraft was CCCP-75757. Although no announcement was made about boarding for the additional flight, passengers hurriedly crowded onto the plane. In such a chaotic environment, there was no ticket control, and the boarding ramp had to be removed while people were still on it. After the ramp was removed, it was discovered that two crew members—a flight engineer and one of the flight attendants—had not yet boarded, so an auxiliary ladder was lowered, allowing a few more passengers to climb aboard.[2]
At 16:55, the Il-18 took off from Tbilisi airport. The flight was piloted by a crew consisting of commander Akhdrin Bardzilivosovich Oganesyan, co-pilot Asatur Nikolaevich Shabonyan, navigator Gurgen Vantshevik Shakhbazyan, flight engineer Grant Grigorievich Budurov, radio operator Roland Agavartovich Mkhitaryan, and trainee radio operator G. K. Nikoghosyan. The cabin crew included flight attendants A. O. Shahatuni, Aleksandra Mikhailovna Proskurina, and Marieta Khasraevna Astatryan. On board the 84-seat airliner were 110 passengers, 26 of whom stood or sat in the aisles, with some even occupying the coat closet and galley. The aircraft was tail-heavy, with an aft center of gravity of 24.5% MAC (exceeding the limit by 1%), though the chart indicated a 19% MAC.[2]
The Il-18 reached Mineralnye Vody without incident. At the time, the sky over the airport was completely covered by clouds with a lower boundary at 120 meters, visibility was 2,000 meters, and light snow was falling. After completing the fourth turn (onto the final approach), the aircraft was 20 kilometers from the airport and deviated 800–900 meters to the right of the centerline. When the distance to the runway decreased to 8 kilometers, the approach radar controller guided them back onto the landing course, resulting in the aircraft passing over the outer marker (3,850 meters from the runway) on the glide path, with a course of 117° at an altitude of 250 meters. The controller then asked the pilots if they could see the runway lights. The response was negative, prompting the crew to decide to go around.[2]
During the go-around, the Il-18 deviated significantly to the right. At 17:58, while flying in darkness at a heading of 188° and at an altitude of 90 meters relative to the airport, the aircraft struck a wooded hillside 3 kilometers southwest of the airport. The airliner plowed through the forest for about 280 meters before it spun to the left and caught fire. The crash resulted in the deaths of the trainee radio operator (Nikoghosyan), a flight attendant (Shahatuni), and 30 passengers.[2]
Causes
The cause of the crash was the crew's violation of the instructions regarding crew coordination during night landings in difficult meteorological conditions. The pilots deviated significantly to the right while maintaining an altitude of 90 meters, leading the aircraft to crash into the hillside shortly thereafter. This was exacerbated by the significantly deteriorating weather conditions, the last report of which was transmitted half an hour earlier, and the distraction caused by the controller's query about the visibility of the runway, which diverted the crew's attention from monitoring the instruments.[2]
It is also necessary to note the poor organization of passenger boarding at Tbilisi airport, where passengers boarded the aircraft in an unorganized manner, resulting in an overload of the aircraft by 26 people. Given the long delay before departure, this led to significant nervousness among the crew.[2]
