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Aircraft Collision with Mountain Near Samarkand Airport (CCCP-75798)

Samarkand, UzbekistanLanding (descent or approach)

On February 6, 1970, an Ilyushin II-18 (registration CCCP-75798) operated by Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Samarkand, Uzbekistan during landing or approach. 92 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was the consequence of the combination of several factors, including poor ATC assistance and wrong instructions from the approach controller who cleared the crew to descend prematurely, lack of visibility due to clouds, and the flying crew's… 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.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft struck a mountain slope 32 km northeast of Samarkand Airport in poor visibility. The copilot and 13 passengers were rescued, while 92 occupants were killed.

Incident Overview and Flight Progression The aircraft departed Tashkent and maintained an altitude of 5,100 meters during an uneventful flight. The crew received clearance to descend to 2,700 meters and subsequently to 2,400 meters. While approaching Samarkand Airport, the crew encountered poor visibility caused by low clouds. At an altitude of 1,500 meters, the aircraft was in a nose-down attitude of 16 degrees and traveling at a speed of 380 km/h when it struck the slope of a mountain located 32 km northeast of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact. The copilot and 13 passengers were rescued, while 92 other occupants were killed.

Probable cause

The accident was the consequence of the combination of several factors, including poor ATC assistance and wrong instructions from the approach controller who cleared the crew to descend prematurely, lack of visibility due to clouds, and the flying crew's failure to double-check their position after being cleared to descend.

Related events

Same operator

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