Cargo Flight from Moscow-Domodedovo Crashes After Left Engine Fire and Detachment (CCCP-48101)

Flight Details and Initial Anomalies The aircraft departed Moscow-Domodedovo at 1838LT on a cargo flight to Baku with an intermediate stop in Lviv. It carried five crew members and 400 kilograms of various goods, including metallic hoses. Nine minutes after takeoff, while climbing to approximately 3,600 meters, the crew observed discrepancies in the fuel system, including a slight reduction in fuel pressure in the supply line connected to the left engine. After visually inspecting the left side of the aircraft and finding no abnormalities, the crew continued the flight. ## Escalation and Emergency Eighteen minutes later, while approaching 7,200 meters, the crew noted a significant increase in fuel consumption and a drop in fuel supply system pressure. Analysis of the system revealed a leak. As the crew attempted to shut down the left engine, a fire started in the bottom of the left engine nacelle. At 1914LT, the captain informed air traffic control of the left engine failure and was cleared to return to Domodedovo Airport. Less than two minutes later, the captain reported that the left engine was on fire and requested vectoring to the nearest airport, Tula-Klokovo, which was 140 kilometers from the aircraft's position. ## Engine Detachment and Crash Minutes later, the left engine, engulfed in flames, detached and fell away. Realizing that Tula Airport could not be reached, the captain continued the descent at a rate of 100 meters per second, attempting to land in an open field. The aircraft entered clouds, and at a height of 300 meters, the pilot-in-command suffered spatial disorientation. The aircraft nosed down at an angle of 80 degrees and crashed at a speed of 612 kilometers per hour in a wooded area 3.5 kilometers northeast of Sosensky. The aircraft disintegrated on impact, and all five occupants were killed.