On September 26, 1994, a Yakovlev Yak-40 (registration RA-87468) operated by Cheremshanka Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Vanavara, Russia during landing or approach. 28 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: It was determined that all three engine failed simultaneously due to a fuel exhaustion. Following a poor flight planning, the crew decided to chose Vanavara as the alternate airport (450 km from Tura) while the airport of Baykit was located 110 km from Tura… 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.
A three-engine aircraft on a flight from Krasnoyarsk crashed after all engines failed due to fuel exhaustion during diversion. All 28 occupants died.
Accident Sequence
The flight from Krasnoyarsk to Tura Airport proceeded without incident until arrival, when poor weather and limited visibility prevented the crew from establishing visual contact with the runway. The crew initiated a go-around and entered a holding pattern. Two additional approaches were abandoned over the following minutes. The crew then decided to divert to Vanavara Airport, located 450 km southeast of Tura.
After a total flight time of 3 hours and 45 minutes, while descending to Vanavara, all three engines stopped simultaneously. The captain attempted an emergency landing in a cleared area, but the aircraft struck trees at a speed of 235 km/h. It went out of control and crashed on the shore of the Chamba River, coming to rest upside down. The wreckage was found 41 km north-northwest of Vanavara. All 28 occupants were killed.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that all three engines failed simultaneously due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors included:
Poor flight planning: the crew chose Vanavara as the alternate airport, 450 km from Tura, while Baykit Airport was only 110 km from Tura with good weather conditions at the time.
The crew incorrectly calculated the total fuel required for the flight and alternate.
The crew was unaware of deteriorating weather at Tura because ground personnel failed to conduct effective observations and inform the crew.
The deviation during the first straight-in approach, caused probably by short-term de-energizing of the Outer Marker beacon and incorrect determination of distance to VPP.
The crew failed to monitor approach pattern parameters during the second and third approaches in visibility below minimums.
The crew started descent to Vanavara prematurely after selecting the wrong flight altitude.
Probable cause
It was determined that all three engine failed simultaneously due to a fuel exhaustion. Following a poor flight planning, the crew decided to chose Vanavara as the alternate airport (450 km from Tura) while the airport of Baykit was located 110 km from Tura and weather conditions were good at this time. The following contributing factors were reported: - The crew incorrectly calculated the total amount of fuel necessary for the request flight and the alternate airport, - The crew was unaware of the deterioration of the weather conditions in Tura after the ground personnel based at Tura Airport failed to conduct efficient observations and inform the crew accordingly, - The deviation, allowed by crew during the first straight-in approach, which was caused, probably, by short-term de-energizing of the Outer Marker beacon and by incorrect determination by the crew of removal to VPP under these conditions, - Failure of the crew to monitor the approach pattern parameters during the second and third approaches to Tura Airport in below minimums visibility, - The crew started the descent to Vanavara Airport prematurely following a wrong flight altitude selection.