Aeroflot Flight 2022
Tupolev Tu-124V · Failure of the horizontal stabilizer resulting in a loss of control
From Vilnius International Airport (VNO) to Vnukovo International Airport (VKO)
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 51 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 51
- Survivors
- 0
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- Unknown
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
Tupolev Tu-124V
- Aircraft type
- Tupolev TU-124
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- CCCP-45061
- Operator
- Aeroflot
- Onboard fatalities
- 51
- Route
- From Vilnius International Airport (VNO)To Vnukovo International Airport (VKO)
Cause areas
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems
- Personnel issues › Psychological
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.
From the Wikipedia article
Aeroflot Flight 2022 was a scheduled Soviet domestic passenger flight between Vilnius Airport in Lithuanian SSR and Moscow–Vnukovo Airport in Russian SFSR, that crashed on 16 December 1973, killing all 51 people on board. The flight suffered a loss of control as a result of a malfunction of its elevator, causing it to crash as it made its final descent into Moscow. At the time of the crash, it was the worst accident in aviation history involving a Tupolev Tu-124 since it entered service with Aeroflot in 1962.
Accident
At 18:10 MSK on 16 December 1973, CCCP-45061 took off from Vilnius Airport in Lithuania SSR and proceeded east on a flight to Moscow-Vnukovo Airport in Russia with six crew and 45 passengers on board. Flight 2022 climbed to a cruising altitude of 7,800 m and at 19:03 MSK air traffic controllers in Moscow gave the pilots clearance to begin a descent to 5,700 m. At 19:11 MSK, the pilots reported the aircraft had entered a steep dive and were having difficulties recovering. Just 2,000 m above the ground, the pilots were able to briefly stabilize the aircraft; however, it then entered a stall, followed by a spin. At 19:13 MSK, the aircraft crashed into the ground near the village of Karacharovo, northwest of Moscow. All 51 people aboard the aircraft were killed. At the time of the crash, the visibility was reported to be 2-4 kilometers with haze and cloudy skies.
Investigation and cause
Cause
An investigation ruled out engine problems or weather having playing a part in the crash. In addition, there were no physical jams in the aircraft's rudder, aileron, and wing trim tab components. Investigators determined that a spontaneous short circuit had caused the elevator trim tab to deflect to and maintain an upward position, which sent the aircraft into a dive and a resulting spin. Because of a loss of situational awareness and a gyro that had failed due to loads sustained in the dive, the crew again lost control of the airplane and it crashed.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Aeroflot Flight 2022” (revision 1368491053, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: Aeroflot Flight 2022
- Article
- Aeroflot Flight 2022
- Revision
- 1368491053 · 2026-08-09 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q16662560
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "Aeroflot Flight 2022" (page 56432831, revision 1368491053)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- Wikipedia article coordinates
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- flight number in the article title
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.