Incident
After takeoff from Ürümqi Airport, a cargo flight bound for Baku encountered technical problems with the left main gear that remained down. The crew decided to continue to Baku in that configuration. On approach to Baku-Bina Airport by night, the captain contacted air traffic control and was cleared to proceed to a low pass to check the undercarriage. Following the low pass, the crew initiated a turn to the left and followed a circuit for a second approach. While flying at a relatively low altitude, all four engines suffered a loss of power. The aircraft lost height, collided with light poles on a bridge, and crashed in a field located 9 kilometers from the airport. Four crew members were seriously injured and two others were killed.
Investigation
Investigators determined that all four engines lost power due to low fuel. The investigation identified several contributing factors: a malfunction of the landing gear retraction system, which led to flying with a landing gear extended and caused excessive fuel consumption; a subsequent failure to lock the left landing gear in the extended position made it necessary to perform a second approach with a limited amount of fuel; the fuel gauge indicator readings were inaccurate and prevented the crew from having correct information about the amount of fuel available and applying the flight manual's recommendations for low-fuel flights; the lack of an airline bulletin on the features of the fuel system prevented the crew from selecting the optimum mode for flying with a limited amount of fuel; and inadequate operational and maintenance organization on the part of the companies Baku Air and ALG Inc.
Probable Cause
It was determined that all four engines lost power due to low fuel. The following contributing factors were reported: a malfunction of the landing gear retraction system, which led to flying with a landing gear extended and caused excessive fuel consumption; the subsequent failure to lock the left landing gear in the extended position made it necessary to do a second approach with a limited amount of fuel; the fuel gauge indicator readings were inaccurate and prevented the crew from having correct information about the amount of fuel available and applying the flight manual's recommendations for low-fuel flights; the lack of an airline bulletin on the features of the fuel system prevented the crew in the emergency situation from selecting the optimum mode for flying with a limited amount of fuel; and inadequate operational and maintenance organization on the part of the companies Baku Air and ALG Inc.