Let L-200 crash near Volgograd

The Let L-200 crash near Volgograd was an aviation accident involving a Let L-200D Morava passenger aircraft of Aeroflot that occurred on Monday, 29 July 1968 in Svetloyarsky District of Volgograd Oblast, 50 kilometres from Volgograd, killing 5 people.

Crash

The aircraft was operating passenger flight 795 from Volgograd to Elista, and it was piloted by Valery Spiridonov. At 13:06 flight 795, with 4 passengers and the pilot on board, took off from Gumrak airport and after climbing took up the assigned flight level of 900 metres. Among the passengers was the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kalmyk ASSR, V. Tambovtsev, who was flying with his wife. The weather conditions at that time were good — scattered clouds, wind 90° 9-13 m/s, visibility 20 kilometres. At 13:30 the pilot Valery Spiridonov reported passing the Solodniki turning point, to which he received permission to climb to flight level 1500 metres. But 5 minutes later, at 13:35, the aircraft reported that the right engine had failed and the right propeller would not feather. The controller asked about further actions, to which Valery Spiridonov replied that he would return to Volgograd. At 13:40 the controller said that there was an alternate airfield along the flight route, but at 13:43 the pilot Valery Spiridonov reported that he was proceeding at a height of 180 metres and was choosing a site for landing. At 13:46 the pilot Valery Spiridonov reported the area where he had chosen a site, after which communication ceased.

Having chosen a site not far from the village of Bolshiye Chapurniki and 50 kilometres from Gumrak airport, Valery Spiridonov began an approach at very low height, with the landing gear retracted and with the ignition of the left engine switched off. But when the flare height was reached, the pilot saw that the site was located on a slope that rose steeply precisely in the direction of the landing heading. Afraid of crashing into this slope, the pilot pulled the control column "towards himself", thereby raising the aircraft's nose. However, from this manoeuvre the airliner lost speed, entering a stall, after which it lowered its nose and from a height of 5-6 metres struck the ground, as a result of which it was destroyed. All 5 people on board died.