1981 Heiss Island Il-14 crash
Aeroflot (Central Directorate, Myachkovo Aviation Detachment) Ilyushin Il-14 · Controlled flight into terrain during approach in poor visibility
From Myachkovo Airfield (RU-10054) to Heiss Island, Franz Josef Land
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
- 2 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- Unknown
- Survivors
- 11
- 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
- 9
- 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
Ilyushin Il-14
- Aircraft type
- Ilyushin IL-14
- 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-04188
- Onboard fatalities
- 2
- Route
- From Myachkovo Airfield (RU-10054)To Heiss Island, Franz Josef Land
Cause areas
- Personnel issues › Action/decision
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring
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
The 1981 Heiss Island Il-14 crash was an aviation accident that occurred on 12 February 1981, when an Ilyushin Il-14 aircraft crashed on Heiss Island, part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Soviet Union. The aircraft was operating a special flight carrying meteorological personnel and equipment. Two of the thirteen people on board were killed.
The aircraft wreckage has never been moved and is still in place serving as an outdoor exhibit.
Accident
The flight originated in Moscow and was bound for Heiss Island, with several intermediate stops including Vorkuta, Dikson Airport, and finally Sredny Island in Severnaya Zemlya. Onboard were scientists from the Obninsk Meteorological Institute along with their equipment, destined for the Ernst Krenkel Observatory on Heiss Island.
Landing was attempted during polar twilight on a temporary snow-covered landing strip. The aircraft’s landing weight exceeded the limit by 700 kg. On final approach, the pilot twice lost visual contact with the runway lights but chose not to go around, violating Soviet civil aviation regulations (NPP GA-78 §8.6.13).
The aircraft touched down 32 meters left of the runway in deep unpacked snow. The nose landing gear collapsed, and the nose section struck the ground, partially breaking apart. A fuel tank and other cabin cargo shifted forward, killing two passengers and damaging the cockpit. Five crew members and four passengers were injured.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
The investigation found that the crash was primarily caused by the pilot’s failure to abort the landing despite the lack of visual reference. This was a violation of standard procedures. Inadequate operational control in the 229th flight detachment was also cited.
The aircraft was written off by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 10 April 1981.
Text from the Wikipedia article “1981 Heiss Island Il-14 crash” (revision 1360612758, 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: 1981 Heiss Island Il-14 crash
- Revision
- 1360612758 · 2026-06-22 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q16662438
- 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 "1981 Heiss Island Il-14 crash" (page 80046049, revision 1360612758)
- 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
- operator is an airline according to Wikidata
- 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.