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79 fatalities

Midair Collision Near Zolochiv Involving a Tupolev TU-134 and an Antonov AN-26 (CCCP-65856)

Zolochiv, UkraineFlight

On May 3, 1985, a Tupolev TU-134 (registration CCCP-65856) operated by Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Zolochiv, Ukraine in flight. 79 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was the consequence of poor radar coverage by ATC, who failed to properly coordinate control and assistance to both planes. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-11Data APIEditorial standards

A Tupolev TU-134 and an Antonov AN-26 collided near Zolochiv, Ukraine, killing all 94 occupants. The crash followed an ATC clearance for the TU-134 to descend while the AN-26 was climbing.

Incident Overview and Sequence of Events After an uneventful flight from Tallinn, the aircraft entered the terminal maneuvering area (TMA) of Lviv and was cleared to descend from 4,800 meters to 4,200 meters. The crew was informed about the presence of an Antonov AN-26 that had taken off from Lviv-Sknyliv Airport at 1202 local time and was climbing to 3,900 meters. The AN-26 was en route to Moscow and carried 15 people, most of them officers from the Carpathian Military contingent. At 1212 local time, the crew of the TU-134 was cleared to continue descending below 4,200 meters. One minute later, while cruising in clouds at an altitude of 3,900 meters, both aircraft collided, entered a dive, and crashed in an open field near the city of Zolochiv, about 60 km east of Lviv. Both aircraft were totally destroyed and all 94 occupants were killed.

Probable cause

The accident was the consequence of poor radar coverage by ATC, who failed to properly coordinate control and assistance to both planes. The ATC in charge of the sector cleared the TU-134 crew to continue descending without knowing the exact position of both planes, causing the Tupolev to descend too low and cut the Antonov trajectory. The sector supervisor also failed to pay sufficient attention to the operations, identify a possible conflict in time, initiate corrective action, and assist the colleague.
Midair collision

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