Aeroflot Flight 418
 An Aeroflot Tu-154, similar to the one involved in the accident. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 June 1976 |
| Summary | Inconclusive (possibly due to radar failure) |
| Site | Mount San Carlos, Bioko, Equatorial Guinea 3°30′N 8°42′E / 3.500°N 8.700°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-154A |
| Operator | Aeroflot |
| Registration | CCCP-85102 |
| Flight origin | Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Angola |
| Stopover | Malabo International Airport, Bioko, Equatorial Guinea |
| 1st stopover | N'Djamena International Airport, Chad |
| Last stopover | Tripoli International Airport, Libya |
| Destination | Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Occupants | 46 |
| Passengers | 42 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 46 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aeroflot Flight 418 was an international passenger flight from Luanda to Moscow Sheremetyevo with three intermediate stops. On 1 June 1976, the Tupolev Tu-154A (CCCP-85102) operating the first leg of the flight, collided with Mount San Carlos of Bioko Island while en route. All 46 occupants onboard were killed as a result of the crash.
An investigation made by the commission was unable to conclude the cause of the crash but stated that the crash was due to radar failure onboard the aircraft.[1]
Aircraft
[edit]The aircraft involved, manufactured in 1975 at the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant, Samara, was a "brand new" Tupolev Tu-154A registered CCCP-85102 with MSN 75A102.[1][2] At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated 2,119 hours and 1,069 cycles.[1]
Passengers and crew
[edit]There were 36 passengers and 10 crew members on board the aircraft.[a][2][3] The 36 passengers included 32 Angolans,[b] 20 of whom were wounded soldiers going to the Soviet Union for treatment and the rest were mostly students, one Hungarian and three Soviets.[3][8][6]
There were 10 crew members onboard the flight,[3] including four Soviet flight attendants. The flight crew was described as "experienced" by Russian Planet.[2]
Description
[edit]The aircraft was en route from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport to Malabo International Airport when it struck a mountain 750 metres (2,460 ft) high at Bioko, Equatorial Guinea.[9] All 42 passengers and 4 crew perished.[5][4]
Investigation
[edit]The cause of the accident could not be determined, but the investigation commission suspected a possible failure of the MSRP-12 radar on the aircraft may have led the crew to be unaware of their position.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]- ^
- On 4 June 1976, The Associated Press reported that there were 36 passengers and 10 crew members on board the aircraft.[3]
- On 12 June 1976, Flight International reported that there were 46 passengers and crew.[4]
- On 11 December 1976, Flight International reported that there were 42 passengers and 4 crew members.[5]
- In 1988, in his book Uncovering Soviet disasters: exploring the limits of glasnost, James E. Oberg wrote that there were 46 occupants on board the aircraft.[6]
- The Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives reported that there were 45 occupants in total, including 35 passengers and 10 crew members.[1]
- ^ On 16 June 1976, Reuters[7] reported that were 36 Angolans and 13 Russians onboard while on 1 June 2020, Russian Planet[2] reported that there were 31 Angolan passengers.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Crash of a Tupolev TU-154A near Malabo: 45 killed | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d Karelin, Andrey (1 June 2020). "Жуткая история катастрофы ТУ-154 в джунглях экватора" [The Horrible Story of the Tu-154 Crash in the Equator Jungle]. Russian Planet (in Russian). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Missing Soviet jetliner down in West Africa". The Associated Press. The Register-Guard. 4 June 1976. p. 3A. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ a b "Public-transport accidents". Flight International: 1547. 12 June 1976. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
An Aeroflot Tu-154 is missing on a flight from Luanda to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, as we go to press. It is reported to be carrying a total of 46 crew and passengers.
- ^ a b "Aeroflot known accident record 1966–76". Flight International: 1695. 11 December 1976. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ a b Oberg, James E. (1988). Uncovering Soviet disasters: exploring the limits of glasnost. New York: Random House. p. 124. ISBN 978-0394560953.
- ^ "Wreckage Of Missing Jet Reported Found In Equatorial Guinea". Reuters. Toledo Blade. 16 June 1976. p. 27. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Soviet Jet Crashes; 46 Aboard". The Associated Press. The Press-Courier. 4 June 1976. p. 3. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 7 September 2011.
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- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1976
- 1976 in the Soviet Union
- Aviation accidents and incidents in Equatorial Guinea
- Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain
- Accidents and incidents involving the Tupolev Tu-154
- Aeroflot accidents and incidents
- 1976 in Equatorial Guinea
- June 1976 in Africa
- Aviation accident stubs