1974 Leningrad Ilyushin Il-18 crash

On 27 April 1974, an Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-18, operating a scheduled passenger flight from Leningrad to Krasnodar via Zaporizhzhia, lost control and crashed after attempting to return to Pulkovo Airport following an engine fire killing all 102 passengers and 7 crew on board the flight.

Accident

The aircraft was operating a regular flight from Leningrad to Krasnodar via a stopover at Zaporizhzhia to refuel the aircraft. On the day of the accident, the weather was described as "spring-like", with light clouds and light winds present.

The flight took off from Pulkovo Airport at 18:00 MSK (UTC+03:00) without any problems. A few minutes later, Captain Nikolai Danilov told air traffic control (ATC) that the number 4 engine had caught fire, stating: "Engine four fire, dangerous vibration, turning around." Air traffic controllers suggested the crew land at Gorelovo air base but the crew instead decided to land at Pulkovo Airport and were cleared to land on the same runway. The crew then had to carry out four manoeuvres to attempt to land at the airport. Following the second manoeuvre, smoke from the burning engine became noticeable from the ground. The flight crew continuously transmitted by radio that they had serious problems and requested that fire trucks meet them at Pulkovo.

Five minutes later, the ATC proposed that the aircraft attempt a landing at a military airfield in Pushkin but the captain refused the proposal as fire brigades were already awaiting them at Pulkovo. After completing all four manoeuvres, the crew reduced the plane's speed to attempt an approach to the runway, however, this led to the fire gaining in intensity, destroying the right wing's mechanical functions. The last message transmitted by the flight – located 2.5 km away from the airport – was: «Падаем, конец» ("We're falling, it's the end").

The aircraft subsequently rolled "abruptly" to the right in an inverted attitude, and at 18:07, just seven minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed near railroad tracks in the direction of Luga 1.5 km away from the airport. The wreckage was scattered over 30 m.