1989 Soviet Air Force Caspian Sea Il-76 crash
Soviet Air Forces Ilyushin Il-76 · Uncontained engine failure leading to structural failure
From Nasosnaya Air Base, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic to Zhovtneve Air Base, Bolhrad, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
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
- 57 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- Unknown
- 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
- Military
Ilyushin Il-76
- Aircraft type
- Ilyushin IL-76
- 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-76569
- Operator
- Soviet Air Forces
- Onboard fatalities
- 57
- Route
- From Nasosnaya Air Base, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist RepublicTo Zhovtneve Air Base, Bolhrad, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Cause areas
- Organizational issues › Development
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Not plotted · Not plotted: the Wikipedia article gives no coordinates, and its site names no town or airport that matches exactly.
From the Wikipedia article
On October 18, 1989, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76, flying from Nasosnaya Air Base in SSR Azerbaijan to Zhovtneve Air Base in SSR Ukraine, crashed into the Caspian Sea. All 57 people on board were killed. The aircraft was carrying paratroopers from the 98th Guards Airborne Division. It is the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in Azerbaijan.
Accident
On 18 October 1989, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76, with the registration CCCP-76569, carrying paratroopers from the 98th Guards Airborne Division, crashed into the Caspian Sea, killing all 57 people on board. The incident is the deadliest aviation accident in Azerbaijan history.
The flight was part of a routine training exercise taking place near the city of Sumgait, situated along the Caspian Sea coast. The aircraft, en route to carry out a training mission, faced unforeseen technical difficulties shortly after departing from Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
The crash prompted a swift response from search and rescue teams, who were able to recover the wreckage of the aircraft, along with the victims' remains, from the waters of the Caspian Sea. Investigations into the incident were subsequently launched to determine the precise causes of the crash.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
The cause of the accident was an engine design flaw. The inter-shaft bearing had failed, leading to the low-pressure turbine shaft fracturing from heat.
Text from the Wikipedia article “1989 Soviet Air Force Caspian Sea Il-76 crash” (revision 1375560117, 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: 1989 Soviet Air Force Caspian Sea Il-76 crash
- Revision
- 1375560117 · 2026-09-18 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q4055759
- 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 "1989 Soviet Air Force Caspian Sea Il-76 crash" (page 71101407, revision 1375560117)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- none
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- operator named as an armed force or military unit in the infobox
- 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.