Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Il-18 crash (1971)

The Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Il-18 crash was an aviation accident that occurred at 23:40 on 21 December 1971 during the take-off of a Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Il-18 aircraft from Sofia Airport in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The aircraft was beginning a special flight to Algeria when, immediately after take-off, it banked sharply to the left and crashed onto the runway. On board were 62 passengers and 11 crew members; 30 people were killed (including 6 of the crew) and 23 were injured. The aircraft was completely destroyed.

On board was a group of artists who were to take part in days of Bulgarian culture in Algeria. Killed in the crash were the popular singer Pasha Hristova and the composer Nikolay Arabadzhiev, while among the survivors were the composer Maria Neykova, the singer Boris Gudzhunov, who suffered broken limbs, and the folk singer Yanka Rupkina – with light burns.

The subsequent investigation established that the crash was caused by incorrect installation of the cables driving the ailerons. For a week immediately before the flight the aircraft had undergone a regular technical inspection, which included replacement of the cables. This was assigned to two mechanics without any experience in such maintenance; the instructions given to them were in Russian, which they did not understand, and the directions given to them by the responsible engineer were unclear (asked which of two possible schemes to use, he told the mechanics to use the one that was clearer to them). The cables used were themselves of unclear origin and without certificates. The investigation report notes that if it were published, the airline would lose insurance of 1.5 million US dollars, which is why it remained hidden for decades.