Aeroflot Flight 331
Ilyushin Il-62M | |
| Operator | Aeroflot |
|---|---|
| Registration | СССР-86614 |
| Flight origin | Sheremetyevo International Airport |
| 1st stopover | Frankfurt Airport |
| Last stopover | Lisbon Airport |
| Destination | José Martí International Airport |
| Occupants | 69 |
| Passengers | 59 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 67 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Survivors | 2 |
Aeroflot Flight 331 was an international
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was an Ilyushin Il-62M, registered as CCCP-86614 and operated by the International Civil Aviation Directorate of Aeroflot. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had 5,549 hours of flight and 1,144 use cycles. The aircraft was delivered to Aeroflot in 1975.[1]
Passengers and crew
At a stopover in Lisbon, Portugal, a new crew took command of the aircraft. The five-man crew consisted of Captain Viktor Orlov, Co-pilot Vasily Shevelev, Navigator Anatoly Vorobyov, Flight Engineer Yuri Suslov, and Radio Operator Evgeniy Pankov. Five flight attendants were on the aircraft.
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union | 28 | 10 | 38 |
| United Kingdom | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Cuba | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Sweden | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Australia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| West Germany | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 59 | 10 | 69[5][unreliable source?][4] |
Sequence of events
At 03:32 UTC, Flight 331 took off from Lisbon Airport and climbed to 35,000 feet (11,000 m). While on approach to Havana, the crew reported seeing false altitude and air pressure readings. They were then granted permission to descend from 35,000 to 15,000 feet (10,700 to 4,600 m), followed by a descent to 3,000 feet (910 m). At the time, cumulus clouds were present, visibility was 8 kilometres (5.0 mi; 4.3 nmi) with a dense fog at 40 metres (130 ft),
The only two survivors of the crash were a
Investigation
An investigation revealed serious errors made by the crew in the last moments of the flight. The main cause of the accident was a blatant violation of approach procedure, errors in calculating altitude that resulted in incorrect altitude readings that led to a premature descent, and the crew's attempt at a visual approach in dense fog. Also cited was the incorrect use of the
See also
References
- ^ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 3 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Airline accidents". Flight International: 1689. 11 June 1977. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
It is reported that the aircraft struck a power line while attempting an emergency landing in fog.
- ^ Nashua Telegraph. Mexico City. Associated Press. 28 May 1977. p. 1.
- ^ a b c d e f Катастрофа Ил-62М ЦУ МВС близ Гаваны (Куба) [Accident Il-62M Havana] (in Russian). airdisaster.ru. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Plane crash IL-62M near Havana (Cuba). 1977". en.avia.pro. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ Anne Summers and David Marr, "One white man who won the trust of Aborigines", National Times (6–11 June 1977), p.24.
Further reading
- "Flight Safety 1977 – Fatal accidents: Scheduled flights". Flight International: 182. 21 January 1978. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.