What happened
A military transport mission traveling from Tashkent to Kabul ended in tragedy when an Antonov AN-12 collided with a Soviet Air Force Mil Mi-24 helicopter on the runway. At the time of the incident, the cargo plane was carrying 13 passengers and a crew of six. While the flight crew was waiting for departure instructions, air traffic control issued takeoff clearance to the helicopter from the center of the runway. Shortly after this instruction, the same clearance was mistakenly issued to the crew of the Antonov AN-12.
As the cargo aircraft began its takeoff roll, the pilot observed the helicopter positioned on the runway. In an attempt to clear the obstacle, the pilot initiated rotation; however, a wing made contact with one of the helicopter's propellers. The impact caused the aircraft to crash and subsequently burst into flames. The collision resulted in 18 fatalities on the cargo plane, with only one passenger surviving the wreckage. All six occupants aboard the Mil Mi-24 sustained injuries during the event.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the primary driver of the accident was a communication error stemming from shared flight identifiers. The crew of the Antonov AN-12 was operating under the same flight number as the helicopter. This similarity led air traffic controllers to believe they were repeating an existing clearance to the same aircraft rather than issuing a new instruction to a different vehicle, leading to both aircraft being cleared for takeoff nearly simultaneously.