Aeroflot Flight 331

Aeroflot Flight 331 was an international passenger flight operated by an Ilyushin Il-62M that crashed about 1 km from José Martí International Airport, in Havana, Cuba, on 27 May 1977. The accident occurred after the aircraft hit power lines on its final approach to the airport during poor weather. The aircraft was attempting an emergency landing due to a fire in one of its engines. Only two of the 69 occupants on board survived. The cause of the crash was ruled to be pilot error.

Sequence of events

At 03:32 UTC, Flight 331 took off from Lisbon Airport and climbed to 35,000 ft. 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 ft, followed by a descent to 3,000 ft. At the time, cumulus clouds were present, visibility was 8 km with a dense fog at 40 m, atmospheric pressure was 758 mmHg, and the temperature was 21 C. At 8:45:28 (12:45:28 UTC) local time, still 1,270 m from the runway, the crew spotted four power lines 28 m high, and attempted to avoid them by pitching the nose up. However, at 23 - 25 m, they clipped all four lines, slicing the stabilizer and severing the right outboard wing flaps. The damage caused the aircraft to make a sharp 70° bank to the right over the next three seconds. The aircraft then struck the ground with its right wing and nose and caught fire, destroying it. Only the tail section remained.

The only two survivors of the crash were a West German woman and a Soviet man. One of the victims was José Carlos Schwarz, a poet and musician from Guinea-Bissau.