What happened
During an approach to Prague-Ruzyne Airport under conditions of restricted visibility, a Tupolev Tu-134 was authorized to land. Shortly after touching down on the runway, the aircraft collided with a CSA Ilyushin II-18V, registration OK-NAA. At the time of the impact, the Ilyushin II-18V had been instructed by air traffic control to line up for departure.
The collision resulted in structural damage to the Ilyushin II-18V, which was carrying six crew members. The Tupolev Tu-134 subsequently veered off the runway surface, causing the separation of its undercarriage before coming to a stop in a nearby field covered in snow. While all 48 people on board the Tupolev were successfully evacuated from the aircraft, the incident resulted in four injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the air traffic controller in the tower issued clearance for the Ilyushin II-18V to line up on the active runway only seconds after the Tupolev Tu-134 had been cleared for landing. The primary factor was that insufficient separation time was provided between the two aircraft. Additionally, the low visibility at the time of the event prevented the flight crews from visually detecting one another before the collision occurred.