Il-14 crash in Tashkent

On Tuesday 23 December 1958 an Il-14 of the Aeroflot company crashed at Tashkent airport, killing 21 people.

Crash

The aircraft was operating flight 466 from Mineralnye Vody to Tashkent, and it was flown by a crew from the 160th flight detachment consisting of the commander (PIC) V. S. Bagdasarov, co-pilot A. E. Ratov, navigator S. N. Shepilov, flight engineer V. V. Vorobyov and flight radio operator S. A. Kuks. Steward T. Pulatov worked in the cabin. On 22 December at 21:15 Moscow time the Il-14 took off from Ashkhabad airport, where it had made the last intermediate stop on the route, and after climbing occupied flight level 3000 metres. On board the airliner were 15 passengers. According to the weather forecast issued to the crew, in Tashkent solid nimbostratus cloud at a height [above the ground] of 300—600 metres, scattered clouds at a height of 100—200 metres, snowfall and haze, visibility 2000—4000 metres, at times 1000—2000 metres, were expected.

When the crew entered the Tashkent airport zone, the controller instructed them to descend to a height of 1800 metres on standard pressure, and then to 800 metres on aerodrome pressure. The controller also passed on the actual weather: snowfall, visibility about 1000 metres. This was below the aerodrome's meteorological minimum (cloud base of 150 metres and horizontal visibility of 2000 metres), but the controller did not instruct the crew to divert to an alternate airfield. When the airliner reached the outer marker (DPRM) at a height of 800 metres, the flight director (RP) instructed the crew to make an approach according to the established procedure, despite the fact that the weather conditions were below the meteorological minimum. With the help of the RSP-4 system and under the direction of the RP, the pilots flew the procedure and the approach, and at a height of 550 metres passed the barrier marker, after which the RP instructed them to lower the landing gear and begin descending. When the aircraft passed the inner marker (BPRM), the commander reported: "I see the runway, request landing", to which he received clearance to land.

But when the airliner was approaching the beginning of the runway, at a height of 10—15 metres the commander reported a go-around.

After that communication ceased. On 23 December at 03:10 local time (00:10 Moscow time), the Il-14, which was going around at a height of 100—150 metres and 2645 metres from the beginning of the runway, suddenly turned sharply to the right and, at an angle of 60° with its engines running, crashed into a snow-covered field 220 metres to the right of the runway. All 6 crew members and 15 passengers on board were killed.