1991 Antonov An-74 accident near Lensk

The 1991 accident of an Antonov An-74 near Lensk occurred on 17 September 1991. On that day an Antonov An-74 of Antonov Airlines, which was to operate a cargo flight from Lensk Airport to Omsk Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff. All 13 occupants on board died. It was the first accident of an aircraft of this type involving fatalities and a total loss of the aircraft.

Accident sequence

After the first leg had been flown without any particular incidents, the aircraft took off at 01:20 local time from runway 25 of Lensk Airport to continue the flight. The aircraft lifted off at a speed of 225 km/h and the pilots retracted the landing gear. The Antonov then climbed at a vertical speed of five to six metres per second. While the airspeed shortly afterwards increased to 240 to 260 km/h, the vertical rate of climb began to decrease until it reached a value of 0.94 metres per second. At a height of 75 metres above the end of the runway and 85 metres according to the radio altimeter, the high-lift devices were retracted at an airspeed of 260 km/h. The aircraft then began to descend at a shallow angle with a vertical speed of 3.5 metres per second. When the high-lift devices were fully retracted and the aircraft was 2575 metres beyond the end of runway 25 and moving at a speed of 330 km/h, the Antonov began to climb again. The vertical speed increased to six metres per second. However, the rate of climb was no longer sufficient to clear obstacles along the flight path. The aircraft was flying towards a 133 metre high hill. About 98 seconds after the start of the takeoff run, the Antonov, at a distance of 3903 metres from the end of the runway, at a height of 105 metres and 343 metres to the left of the extended centreline, clipped the tops of 22 metre tall trees growing on the hill ahead, finally struck the slope, broke apart and burned out. All 13 occupants of the transport aircraft were killed.