An-12 accident in Batagay

The An-12 accident in Batagay was an aviation accident that occurred in the daytime on Tuesday, 25 May 1971 at Batagay Airport. An An-12B military transport aircraft of the Yakutsk United Aviation Detachment of the Aeroflot enterprise was completing a cargo flight on the Yakutsk — Batagay route (carrying pipes), but during the landing roll at Batagay Airport the trunnion of the aircraft's right landing gear strut failed, causing the aircraft to bank onto its right wing, crash into an earth embankment, swing round sideways, collapse onto the field and catch fire. None of the 8 people on board — 2 passengers and 6 crew members — were killed; 6 people received minor injuries.

Timeline of events

An-12B registration USSR-11024 was operating a non-scheduled flight from Yakutsk to Batagay carrying 11,035 kg of pipes. On board were 6 crew members and 2 cargo attendants; the centre of gravity was 25.8% MAC, which was within permissible limits.

The sky over Batagay was partly covered by cumulus clouds with a base of 1500 m, visibility was 50 km, and a moderate gusty wind was blowing. The landing weight was 53,385 kg, and the landing heading was 225°. Having read the checklist, the crew began the descent. The calculated flight modes were maintained during the descent and on final approach. The flaps were set to 25°. At the beginning of the runway, at a height of about 1 metre, the aircraft commander set the throttles of the inboard engines to 0° on the UPRT.