Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) accident at Moscow-Vnukovo, Russia, 23 Dec 1948 (CCCP-L861)
On December 23, 1948, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) (registration CCCP-L861) operated by Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Moscow-Vnukovo, Russia during takeoff. 8 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: It was reported that the Ilyushin II-12P was parked at Khodynka and has to be transferred to Tbilisi by an Aeroflot crew from Georgia. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Probable cause
It was reported that the Ilyushin II-12P was parked at Khodynka and has to be transferred to Tbilisi by an Aeroflot crew from Georgia. Unfortunately, this crew arrived too late and another crew from the Uzbekistan Aeroflot Division took over the airplane for a transfer to Tashkent. After takeoff, the crew failed to announce the modification to ATC, cut the route and continued at an insufficient altitude.
— NTSB Determination
Accident narrative
The aircraft was performing a positioning flight from Vnukovo Airport to Bykovo, carrying a crew of four and four passengers who were also pilots taking the opportunity of this flight to position to Bykovo. Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the TS-62 (Douglas C-47A-10-DK) collided with an Aeroflot Ilyushin II-12P registered CCCP-L1731. Its crew was performing a flight from Moscow to Tashkent via Lyubertsy. Both aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a wooded area located 6 km southeast of the airport, in Valuevo. Both aircraft were destroyed and all 12 occupants were killed.
Probable cause (official findings): It was reported that the Ilyushin II-12P was parked at Khodynka and has to be transferred to Tbilisi by an Aeroflot crew from Georgia. Unfortunately, this crew arrived too late and another crew from the Uzbekistan Aeroflot Division took over the airplane for a transfer to Tashkent. After takeoff, the crew failed to announce the modification to ATC, cut the route and continued at an insufficient altitude.