G-2 crash near Alma-Ata
Aeroflot (Kazakh Territorial Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet) Tupolev TB-3 · Difficult weather conditions, errors by the controller and the airport chief
From Alma-Ata to an unrecorded destination
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
- 26 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- Unknown
- Survivors
- 8
- 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
- Airline
Tupolev TB-3
- Aircraft type
- Tupolev TB-3
- 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-L3043
- Onboard fatalities
- 26
- Route
- From Alma-AtaTo not recorded
Cause areas
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge
- Environmental issues › Operating environment
- Organizational issues › Management
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Approximate · Estimated position: Bayserke, near the place the Wikipedia article names. Not the accident site.
From the Wikipedia article
The G-2 crash near Alma-Ata was an aviation accident with loss of life (an air crash) involving a G-2 aircraft (a cargo-passenger version of the ANT-6 aircraft) of the Aeroflot company in the vicinity of Alma-Ata on 26 December 1941. The crash killed 26 people, including a number of leaders of the Kazakh SSR. It was the first documented air crash on the territory of Kazakhstan.
Crash
The aircraft was to carry two teams of the Party Central Committee, which were travelling on an assignment from the Central Committee on a business trip to the Akmolinsk and Kustanai regions. It was flown by the commander (PIC), second-class pilot A. I. Solovyov (4256 flight hours, including 177 hours on the G-2), and the co-pilot G. S. Tupchiy, who had been put on this flight on the orders of his superiors, although he had no flying experience at all on the G-2 and therefore sat in the cockpit as a passenger. In total there were 34 people on board, and 3200 kilograms of fuel had been loaded into the tanks. The take-off weight was thereby exceeded by about a tonne.
According to the weather forecast issued, fog was supposed to begin in the Bakanas area, but in reality the fog already began in the Alma-Ata area. However, the head of the Civil Air Fleet directorate, A. Ya. Gatushkin, made the decision to take off. The airport chief V. A. Kudinov showed slackness in this case and did not demand the cancellation of the flight.
After departing from the airport the aircraft initially flew at a height of 100—150 metres, and, according to the testimony of surviving passengers, severe turbulence was noted. The crew then began to make a left turn. But at that moment the aircraft began to lose height, after which it touched the ground surface with its left wing panel and collided with it. After that, the more than two tonnes of fuel in the tanks ignited, causing a fire that destroyed the aircraft. In total only 8 passengers seated in the tail, who were thrown out at the moment of impact, survived the crash. All the other 26 people, including both pilots, were killed.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
As the conclusion of the technical examination showed, the aircraft was fully serviceable before colliding with the ground, although overloaded by almost a tonne. At the same time it was noted that the aircraft commander Solovyov did not have the necessary experience of flying in thick fog ("blind"), on instruments, and the co-pilot Tupchiy had no experience at all of flying this type of aircraft. Another cause was the meteorological forecast for the flight route, which proved wrong. The main culprit of the crash was named as the head of the Civil Air Fleet directorate Gatushkin, who personally prepared and dispatched the crew on the flight, although he had no right to do so. The chief of Alma-Ata airport Kudinov, who did not insist on cancelling the flight, was also blamed. As for the senior controller F. S. Listovnichiy, it is unclear why he was allowed to work, since he was on sick leave after returning from the front.
From the conclusions of the commission of 30 December 1941:
To agree with the conclusions of the commission on the causes of the air crash of the G-2 aircraft that occurred on 26 December 1941.
For releasing the G-2 aircraft from the airfield in weather known to be unfit for flying and for criminally negligent selection of the crew, the head of the Kazakh Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet Gatushkin and the controller of Alma-Ata airport Listovnichiy are to be removed from their posts.
To take note of the statement of the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the Kazakh SSR, Comrade Babkin, that the specific culprit of the crash, Gatushkin, has been taken into custody and is under investigation.
Translated into English with AI assistance from the Russian Wikipedia article “Катастрофа Г-2 под Алма-Атой” (revision 154541380, retrieved 2026-09-19) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out; the translation may contain errors, and long articles were cut to their first 700 words. Read the article
Sources
Russian Wikipedia article: Катастрофа Г-2 под Алма-Атой
- Article
- Катастрофа Г-2 под Алма-Атой
- Translation
- Into English with AI assistance; names of linked operators and aircraft types from Wikidata. It may contain errors.
- Revision
- 154541380 · 2026-08-19 · retrieved 2026-09-19
- Wikidata
- Q16488136
- 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
- ru Wikipedia article "Катастрофа Г-2 под Алма-Атой" (page 4585699, revision 154541380), translated into English with AI assistance
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- place the Wikipedia infobox site links (Wikidata 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
- Reviewed correction (2026-09-26): An Aeroflot G-2 of the Civil Air Fleet carrying Party officials on a transport flight: a state airline transport flight. The article: "involving a G-2 aircraft (a cargo-passenger version of the ANT-6 aircraft) of the Aeroflot company in the vicinity of Alma-Ata"
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Russian Wikipedia article's infobox, translated into English with AI assistance, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.