What happened
A cargo flight traveling from Tianjin to Moscow, with scheduled stops in Irkutsk and Perm, was conducting operations at Irkutsk-Intl Airport. The aircraft, carrying a payload of 49,750 kilograms of various goods, had taken on 38 tons of fuel during its stop in Irkutsk. The total weight of the aircraft was calculated at 170 tons, which was approximately 4 tons under the maximum takeoff weight.
During the takeoff sequence, the pilot initiated rotation after the aircraft had traveled 2,000 meters along the runway and reached a speed of 225 km/h. The aircraft became airborne and remained in flight for approximately four seconds before the captain requested the landing gear be retracted. At a speed of 250 km/h, the aircraft crossed the end of the runway at a 16-degree angle of attack.
Following this, the aircraft's airspeed began to decline. During this phase, the flight engineer reduced power across all four engines and engaged the thrust reverser systems on the two left-side engines. This resulted in a left roll, causing the aircraft to strike a building housing an electrical transformer. The aircraft came to a stop 1,476 meters beyond the runway threshold and caught fire. The accident resulted in seven injuries, with two crew members sustained serious injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed.
Findings
- The aircraft experienced a significant loss of airspeed following the activation of thrust reversers on the left engines while in flight.
- The impact with an electrical transformer building caused the subsequent fire.