The Tupolev Tu-104 (
NATO reporting name: Camel) is a retired
twinjet
A twinjet or twin-engine jet is a jet aircraft powered by two engines. A twinjet is able to fly well enough to land with a single working engine, making it safer than a single-engine aircraft in the event of failure of an engine. Fuel efficien ...
, medium-range,
narrow-body
A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin less than in width.
In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with mu ...
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, an ...
-powered
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
airliner. It was the second to enter regular service, behind the British
de Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four ...
, and was the only
jetliner
A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly clas ...
operating in the world from 1956 to 1958, when the British jetliner was grounded due to safety concerns.
In 1957, Czechoslovak Airlines – ČSA, (now
Czech Airlines
Czech Airlines j.s.c. (abbreviation: ČSA, cz, České Aerolinie, a.s.) is the flag carrier of the Czech Republic. Its head office is located in the Vokovice area of Prague's 6th district and its hub is Václav Havel Airport Prague. The compa ...
) became the first airline in the world to fly a route exclusively with jet airliners, using the Tu-104A variant between Prague and Moscow. In civil service, the Tu-104 carried over 90 million passengers with
Aeroflot (then the world's largest airline), and a lesser number with ČSA, while it also was operated by the
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
. Its successors included the
Tu-124,
Tu-134
The Tupolev Tu-134 (NATO reporting name: Crusty) is a twin-engined, narrow-body jet airliner built in the Soviet Union for short and medium-haul routes from 1966 to 1989. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain ot ...
, and
Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...
.
Design and development
At the beginning of the 1950s, the Soviet Union's Aeroflot airline needed a modern airliner with better capacity and performance than the piston-engined aircraft then in operation. The design request was filled by the Tupolev OKB, which based their new airliner on its
Tu-16 "Badger" strategic bomber. The wings, engines, and tail surfaces of the Tu-16 were retained with the airliner, but the new design adopted a wider, pressurised fuselage designed to accommodate 50 passengers. The prototype build in MMZ 'Opit' first flew on June 17, 1955, with Yu.L. Alasheyev at the controls. It was fitted with a
drag parachute
A drogue parachute is a parachute designed for deployment from a rapidly-moving object. It can be used for various purposes, such as to decrease speed, to provide control and stability, or as a pilot parachute to deploy a larger parachute. V ...
to shorten the landing distance by up to , since at the time, not many airports had sufficiently long runways.
[ The first serial TU-104 took off on 5 November 1955.]
The Tu-104 was powered by two Mikulin AM-3
The Mikulin AM-3 (also called RD-3M) was a turbojet engine developed in the Soviet Union by Alexander Mikulin.Gunston 1989, p. 104.
Design and development
The development of the high-performance single-shaft engine began in 1948. The engine was ...
turbojets placed in the wing roots (resembling the configuration of the de Havilland Comet). The crew consisted of two pilots, a navigator (seated in the glazed "bomber" nose), a flight engineer, and a radio operator (later eliminated). The airplane raised great curiosity by its lavish "Victorian" interior – so-called by some Western Hemisphere observers – due to the materials used: mahogany, copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
, and lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
.[
Tu-104 pilots were trained on the Il-28 bomber, followed by mail flights on an unarmed Tu-16 bomber painted in Aeroflot colors, between ]Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
and Sverdlovsk. Pilots with previous Tu-16 experience transitioned into the Tu-104 with relative ease. The Tu-104 was considered difficult to fly, as it was heavy on controls and quite fast on final approach, and at low speeds displayed a tendency to stall, a feature common with highly swept wings.
Experience with the Tu-104 led the Tupolev Design Bureau to develop the world's first turbofan series-built airliner, the Tupolev Tu-124
The Tupolev Tu-124 (NATO reporting name: Cookpot) was a 56-passenger short-range twinjet airliner built in the Soviet Union. It was the first Soviet airliner powered by turbofan engines.
Design and development
Developed from the medium-range ...
, designed for local markets, and subsequently the more commercially successful Tu-134
The Tupolev Tu-134 (NATO reporting name: Crusty) is a twin-engined, narrow-body jet airliner built in the Soviet Union for short and medium-haul routes from 1966 to 1989. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain ot ...
.
Operational history
On 15 September 1956, the Tu-104 began revenue service on Aeroflot's Moscow- Omsk- Irkutsk route, replacing the Ilyushin Il-14
The Ilyushin Il-14 (NATO reporting name: Crate) was a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft that first flew in 1950 in aviation, 1950, and entered service in 1954. The Il-14 was also manufactured in Eas ...
. The flight time was reduced from 13 hours and 50 minutes to 7 hours and 40 minutes, and the new jet dramatically increased the level of passenger comfort.[ By 1957, Aeroflot had placed the Tu-104 in service on routes from ]Vnukovo Airport
Vnukovo, formally Vnukovo Andrei Tupolev International Airport (named after Andrei Tupolev) ( rus, links=no, Внуково, p=ˈvnukəvə) , is a dual-runway international airport located in Vnukovo District, southwest of the centre of Moscow, ...
in Moscow to London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Ottawa, Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
, and Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
.
In 1957, ČSA Czechoslovak Airlines became the only export customer for the Tu-104, placing the aircraft on routes to Moscow, Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, and Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. ČSA bought six Tu-104As (four new and two used examples) configured for 81 passengers. Three of these aircraft were subsequently written off (one due to a refueling incident in India and another to a pilot error without fatalities).[
In 1959 a Tu-104 was leased to Sir Henry Lunn Ltd. (]Lunn Poly
Lunn Poly was, at one time, the largest chain of travel agents in the United Kingdom.
History
The company originated from two successful travel agencies established in the 1890s, the Polytechnic Touring Association and Sir Henry Lunn Travel. B ...
) of London which used the aircraft to transport holiday-makers to Russia with a 4.5 hour flight time.
Whilst the Tu-104 continued to be used by Aeroflot throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the safety record of the aircraft was poor in comparison to Western jet airliners (16 of 96 aircraft were lost in accidents). The Tu-104 was unreliable, heavy, very unstable with poor control response, with an inclination to Dutch roll. Poor design aerodynamics of the wings resulted in a propensity to stall with little or no warning and a dangerous tendency to pitch up violently before stalling and entering an irrecoverable dive. Due to the fear of inadvertent stalls, aircrew would fly approaches above the recommended approach speed, landing at , nearly faster. At least two accidents were attributed to the pitch-up phenomenon, prompting changes to the design of the aircraft and operating procedures, but the problem remained. Aeroflot retired the Tu-104 from civilian service in March 1979 following a fatal accident at Moscow, but several aircraft were transferred to the Soviet military, which used them as staff transports and to train cosmonaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
s in zero gravity
Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight. It is also termed zero gravity, zero G-force, or zero-G.
Weight is a measurement of the force on an object at rest in a relatively strong gravitational f ...
. After a military Tu-104 crash in February 1981 killed 50 people (17 were senior army and naval staff), the type was permanently removed from service. The last flight of the Tu-104 was a ferry flight to Ulyanovsk Aircraft Museum on 11 November 1986.
Variants
''Data from:'' [
* Tu-104 – The initial version seating 50 passengers, it used two Mikulin AM-3 turbojet engines, each with of thrust; 29 airframes were built.
* Tu-104 2NK-8 – Proposed version, it was to be powered by two ]Kuznetsov NK-8
The NK-8 was a low-bypass turbofan engine built by the Kuznetsov Design Bureau, in the thrust class. It powered production models of the Ilyushin Il-62 and the Tupolev Tu-154A and B models.
Variants
;NK-8-2: (Tupolev Tu-154)
;NK-8-2U: (Tupo ...
turbofan engines.
* Tu-104A – An improved version appearing in June 1957, its continued improvements of the Mikulin engines (Mikulin AM-3M each with of thrust) permitted significant growth in capacity, resulting in a 70-seater variant. The Tu-104A became the definitive production variant. On 6 September 1957, it flew with 20 t of payload at above mean sea level. On 24 September 1957, it reached average speed with a 2-tonne payload. In total, 80 airframes were built, of which six were exported to Czechoslovakia.
* Tu-104AK – A testbed aircraft
A testbed aircraft is an aeroplane, helicopter or other kind of aircraft intended for flight research or testing the aircraft concepts or on-board equipment. These could be specially designed or modified from serial production aircraft.
Use of te ...
, it was used for zero-g cosmonauts' training and testing the Soviet space program equipment.
* Tu-104A-TS – Five Tu-104As converted to freighter/medevac aircraft.
* Tu-104B – Further improvements were made by stretching the fuselage and fitting new Mikulin AM-3M-500 turbojets ( of thrust each). The Tu-104B was able to accommodate 100 passengers. This variant took advantage of the newer fuselage from the Tu-110 and the existing wings. It began revenue service with Aeroflot on 15 April 1959 on the Moscow-Saint Petersburg route; 95 airframes were built. Most were later rebuilt to Tu-104V-115 standard.
* Tu-104B-TS – Six Tu-104Bs converted to freighter/medevac aircraft.
* Tu-104 CSA - Six aircraft built for CSA.
* Tu-104D – This VIP version had two sleeper cabins forward and a 39-seat cabin aft.
* Tu-104D-85 – Tu-104A airframes rebuilt to accommodate 85 passengers.
* Tu-104D 3NK-8 – Project powered by three NK-8 engines, precursor of Tu-154.
* Tu-104E – A higher performance Tu-104 powered by RD-16-15 engines, giving better fuel economy and greater thrust. Two prototypes were converted from Tu-104Bs СССР-42441 and СССР-42443. The program was cancelled in the mid-1960s in favor of the Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...
.
* Tu-104G – This VIP version was for the federal government, with two VIP cabins forward and a 54-seat cabin aft.
* Tu-104LL – Several serial numbers were converted for use in testing Tu-129 and Tu-22M electronics, and air-to-air missile systems (including launch).
* Tu-104Sh – Navigator trainer in two versions.
* Tu-104V – The first use of this designation was for a projected 117-seat, medium-haul version with six-abreast seating; project cancelled.
* Tu-104V – The second use of this designation was used for Tu-104A airframes rebuilt to accommodate 100 or 105 passengers. A later version packed 115 passengers in by reducing seat pitch and adding seat rows.
*Tu-104V-115 – Tu-104B airframes were rebuilt to accommodate 115 passengers, with new radio and navigational equipment.
* Tu-107 – Prototype military transport version, with a rear loading ramp and a defensive turret armed with paired cannon. Although one aircraft was built, no production followed.
* Tu-110 – A four-engined version intended for export. A number of prototypes were built before the project was cancelled.
* Tu-118 – A projected turboprop freighter version powered by four Kuznetsov TV-2F engines.
Former operators
;
* CSA Czechoslovak Airlines
Czech Airlines j.s.c. (abbreviation: ČSA, cz, České Aerolinie, a.s.) is the flag carrier of the Czech Republic. Its head office is located in the Vokovice area of Prague's 6th district and its hub is Václav Havel Airport Prague. The comp ...
– six aircraft
* Czechoslovakian Air Force
;
* Military of Mongolia
The Mongolian Armed Forces ( mn, Монгол Улсын Зэвсэгт Хүчин; ''Mongol: ulsyn zevsegt hüchin'') is the collective name for the Mongolian military and the joint forces that comprise it. It is tasked with protecting the inde ...
;
* Aeroflot
* Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
Accidents and incidents
According to the American Flight Safety Foundation
The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is an independent, nonprofit, international organization concerning research, education, advocacy, and communications in the field of aviation safety. FSF brings together aviation professionals from all sectors ...
, between 1958 and 1981, 16 Tu-104s were lost in crashes out of 37 aircraft written off (hull loss rate = 18%) with a total of 1140 fatalities.
1950s
;19 February 1958
:An Aeroflot Tu-104 (СССР-Л5414) was being ferried from Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) to Moscow when it force-landed short of the runway at Savasleika Air Base due to fuel exhaustion; all three crew survived.
;15 August 1958
: Aeroflot Flight 04, a Tu-104A (СССР-Л5442), stalled, spun down and crashed in the Khabarovsky District
Khabarovsky District (russian: Хаба́ровский райо́н) is an administrativeResolution #143-pr and municipalLaw #194 district (raion), one of the seventeen in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It consists of two unconnected segments separa ...
, Khabarovsk Krai after entering a updraft at , killing all 64 on board in the first fatal accident involving the Tu-104. Later accidents showed that the Tu-104 was prone to losing longitudinal stability when flying in certain atmospheric conditions.
;17 October 1958
:An Aeroflot Tu-104A (СССР-42362) pitched up, entered a dive, spun down and crashed
"Crashed" is the third U.S. rock Single (music), single, (the fifth overall), from the band Daughtry (band), Daughtry's debut album. It was released only to U.S. rock stations on September 5, 2007. Upon its release the song got adds at those stat ...
near Kanash
Kanash (russian: Кана́ш; cv, Канаш, ''Kanaş'', lit. ''soviet'') is a town in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located at a major railway junction from Cheboksary, the capital of the republic. Population:
History
It was founded in ...
after encountering turbulence and an updraft, killing all 80 on board. The aircraft was flying high-level diplomats of several Soviet-aligned countries to Moscow for an official event. In the wake of this accident, the Tu-104 was limited to and the stabilizers were redesigned.
1960s
;20 October 1960
:Aeroflot Flight 05, a Tu-104A (СССР-42452), struck sloping terrain near Ust-Orda while attempting to climb following an aborted approach after the nosegear light malfunctioned, killing three of 68 on board.
;1 February 1961
:An Aeroflot Tu-104A (СССР-42357) overran the runway on landing at Vladivostok Airport after landing too late; no casualties.
;16 March 1961
: Aeroflot Flight 068, a Tu-104B (СССР-42438) force-landed on the frozen Nizhneisetsky pond near Koltsovo Airport
Koltsovo International Airport (russian: Аэропорт Кольцово) is the international airport serving Yekaterinburg, Russia, located 16 km (10 mi) southeast of the city. Being the largest airport in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Kolts ...
following double engine failure, killing five of 51 on board. Shortly after takeoff, the right engine failed, causing severe vibration of the fuselage. Because of the vibration, the crew could not determine which engine failed as they could not read the instruments. A crew member pulled back the throttle for the left engine in an attempt to hear the difference in engine power to determine which engine failed, but the engine was shut down by mistake. A loss of altitude resulted, and a forced landing was carried out. The aircraft also struck a house near the pond, killing two. The engine failure was caused by a broken turbine blade in the second stage of the turbine section.
;10 July 1961
:Aeroflot Flight 381, a Tu-104B (СССР-42447), crashed at Odessa-Central Airport in bad weather after encountering downdrafts during the approach, killing one of 94 on board.
;17 September 1961
:An Aeroflot Tu-104A (СССР-42388) was written off following a heavy landing at Tashkent Airport
Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport ( uz, Islom Karimov Toshkent Xalqaro Aeroporti) is the main international airport of Uzbekistan and the 3rd busiest airport in Central Asia (after Almaty International Airport and Astana Internation ...
; no casualties.
;2 November 1961
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (СССР-42504) force-landed in a field near Vladivostok Airport due to engine failure after striking a radio antenna during the approach; no casualties.
;4 June 1962
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (СССР-42491) struck the side of Mount Baba (19 mi northeast of Vrazhdebna Airport) while attempting to return to Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
following engine failure, killing the five crew.
;30 June 1962
:Aeroflot Flight 902
Aeroflot Flight 902 was a passenger flight on a scheduled domestic service from Khabarovsk to Moscow, with intermediate stops at Irkutsk and Omsk, Russia. The flight was operated by a Tu-104A aircraft. On 30 June 1962, with 76 passengers (inclu ...
, a Tu-104A (СССР-42370), was shot down by a errant anti-aircraft missile and crashed in the Beryozovsky District, killing all 84 on board. The missile was fired during an air defense exercise in the Magansk area, but it had lost its target in a storm front and hit the Tu-104 instead.
;3 September 1962
:Aeroflot Flight 03
Aeroflot Flight 03 ( ''Reys 03 Aeroflota'') was a passenger flight from Khabarovsk Airport to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport. On 3 September 1962 the Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-104 lost control after the airframe started vibrating, resulting in the pla ...
, a Tu-104A (СССР-42366), crashed in a swamp near Kuruna, Nanaysky District following an unexplained loss of control, killing all 86 on board; autopilot problems were blamed. An accidental shootdown was also theorized.
;25 October 1962
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (СССР-42495) crashed shortly after takeoff from Sheremetyevo Airport
Sheremetyevo Alexander S. Pushkin International Airport ( rus, links=no, Международный аэропорт Шереметьево имени А. С. Пушкина, p=ʂɨrʲɪˈmʲetʲjɪvə ''Mezhdunarodny aeroport Sheremetyevo imen ...
during a post-maintenance test flight, killing all 11 on board. The rudder controls had been connected backwards.
;18 May 1963
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (СССР-42483) stalled and crashed while on approach to Smolnoye Airport; no casualties.
;13 July 1963
: Aeroflot Flight 012, a Tu-104B (СССР-42492), crashed short of the runway at Irkutsk Airport
Irkutsk International Airport (Russian: Международный Аэропорт Иркутск) is an international airport on the outskirts of Irkutsk, Russia, at a distance of 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Lake Baikal.
Operations
The ai ...
following a sudden, sharp descent during the approach, killing 33 of 35 on board. Water had entered wiring, causing incorrect readings of horizontal and vertical speed and altitude instruments.
;16 August 1963
:A CSA Czechoslovak Airlines
Czech Airlines j.s.c. (abbreviation: ČSA, cz, České Aerolinie, a.s.) is the flag carrier of the Czech Republic. Its head office is located in the Vokovice area of Prague's 6th district and its hub is Václav Havel Airport Prague. The comp ...
Tu-104A (OK-LDB) burned out during refueling at Santa Cruz Airport; one stewardess was injured while jumping from the plane, but there were no other casualties.
;9 June 1964
:Aeroflot Flight 35, a Tu-104B (СССР-42476), landed hard at Tolmachevo Airport while attempting an overshoot; no casualties.
;28 April 1969
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (СССР-42436) was written off after it landed short of the runway at Irkutsk Airport; no casualties.
1970s
;1 June 1970
:A CSA Czechoslovak Airlines Tu-104A (OK-NDD) crashed short of runway 36 at Tripoli International Airport
Tripoli International Airport () is a closed international airport built to serve Tripoli, the capital city of Libya. The airport is located in the area of Qasr bin Ghashir, from central Tripoli. It used to be the hub for Libyan Airlines, ...
after two missed approaches to runway 18, killing all 13 on board.
;25 May 1971
:Aeroflot Flight 1912
Aeroflot Flight 1912 ( ''Reys 1912 Aeroflota'') was a scheduled domestic Aeroflot passenger flight on the Odessa-Kyiv-Chelyabinsk-Novosibirsk-Irkutsk-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok route that crashed on 25 July 1971, making a hard landing at Irkutsk Air ...
, a Tu-104B (СССР-42405), crashed following a hard landing short of the runway at Irkutsk Airport after the aircraft pitched up due to a too low approach speed, killing 97 of 126 on board. The speed indicator reading was affected by cabin pressurization and may have overstated the aircraft's speed.
;25 July 1971
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (CCCP-42405) touched down short of the runway during a night time flight to International Airport Irkutsk
Irkutsk International Airport ( Russian: Международный Аэропорт Иркутск) is an international airport on the outskirts of Irkutsk, Russia, at a distance of 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Lake Baikal.
Operations
The ai ...
from Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo Airport, bursting in flames; 97 of the 126 people on board were killed.
;10 October 1971
:Aeroflot Flight 773
Aeroflot Flight 773 was a scheduled domestic Soviet Union passenger flight from Moscow to Simferopol
Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised ...
, a Tu-104B (СССР-42490), exploded in mid-air and crashed near Baranovo, Naro-Fominsky District after a bomb placed in the cabin detonated, killing all 25 on board.
;19 March 1972
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (СССР-42408) crashed after it struck a snow wall short of the runway at Omsk Airport
: ''Tsentraly may refer, less commonly, to airports in Spilve Airport, Riga, Khodynka Aerodrome, Moscow, Saratov Tsentralny Airport, Saratov, or Orenburg Tsentralny Airport, Orenburg.''
Tsentralny Airport (russian: Аэропорт Централ ...
during its fifth attempt to land; no casualties.
;24 April 1973
:Aeroflot Flight 2420, a Tu-104B (СССР-42505), was hijacked by a passenger who demanded to be flown to Stockholm, Sweden. The crew returned to Leningrad and while the landing gear was lowered the hijacker set off a bomb, killing himself and the flight engineer. Although the explosion blew a hole in the right side of the fuselage, the aircraft was able to land safely with no other casualties.
;18 May 1973
:Aeroflot Flight 109
Aeroflot Flight 109 ( ''Reys 109 Aeroflota'') was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Moscow to Chita with stopovers in Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk. On the final leg of the route on 18 May 1973 a terrorist hijacked the aircraft, d ...
, a Tu-104A (СССР-42379), was hijacked by Chingis Yunusogly Rzayev and demanded to be flown to China. When Rzayev attempted to enter the cockpit he was shot by security officer Vladimir Yezikov. Though mortally wounded, Rzayev managed to detonate a bomb he had with him, consisting of of TNT, blowing the aircraft out of the sky and it crashed in the Buryat ASSR, killing all 81 on board.
;29 August 1973
:CSA Flight 531, a Tu-104A (OK-MDE), veered off the runway on landing a
Nicosia Airport
after the pilot failed to stop the aircraft in time; all 70 on board survived
Wreckage remains at the crash site
;30 September 1973
:Aeroflot Flight 3932
Aeroflot Flight 3932 was a flight operated by Aeroflot from Koltsovo Airport to Omsk Tsentralny Airport. On 30 September 1973, the Tupolev Tu-104 operating the route crashed shortly after takeoff from Sverdlovsk, killing all 108 passengers and ...
, a Tu-104B (СССР-42506), crashed shortly after takeoff from Koltsovo Airport after the artificial horizons lost power, killing all 108 on board.
;13 October 1973
:Aeroflot Flight 964
Aeroflot Flight 964 was a flight operated by Aeroflot from Kutaisi Airport, Georgia to Domodedovo Airport, Moscow, Russian SFSR. On 13 October 1973, the Tupolev Tu-104 operating on the route crashed during its approach to Moscow, killing all 12 ...
, a Tu-104B (СССР-42486), crashed 10 mi northwest of Domodedovo Airport after the compass and main gyroscopes lost power, killing all 122 in the deadliest accident involving the Tu-104.
;7 December 1973
:Aeroflot Flight 964, a Tu-104B (СССР-42503), crashed at Domodedovo Airport following a hard landing after the crew banked left to correct a right bank, killing 16 of 75 on board.
;5 November 1974
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (СССР-42501) overran the runway on landing at Chita Airport and struck a railway embankment; no casualties.
;30 August 1975
:An Aeroflot Tu-104B (СССР-42472) landed hard at Tolmachevo Airport
Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport (russian: Аэропо́рт Толмачёво) is situated in the town of Ob, west of the center of Novosibirsk, an industrial and scientific center in Siberia and Russia's third-largest city.
Overview
There ...
, breaking the right landing gear; no casualties.
;9 February 1976
: Aeroflot Flight 3739, a Tu-104A (СССР-42327), crashed on takeoff from Irkutsk Airport after entering a right bank due to pilot error, killing 24 of 119 on board. A Chosonminhang Tu-154 (P-551) was damaged by debris from the Tu-104.
;17 July 1976
:An Aeroflot Tu-104A (СССР-42335) crashed on takeoff from Chita Airport after it hit a railway embankment after lifting off too slow and too low; all 117 on board survived. The aircraft was overloaded.
;28 November 1976
:Aeroflot Flight 2415
Aeroflot Flight 2415 ( ''Reys 2415 Aeroflota'') was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Moscow to Leningrad that crashed shortly after takeoff on 28 November 1976. The cause of the accident was attributed to crew disorientation as a resul ...
, a Tu-104B (СССР-42471), crashed near Klushino, Solnechnogorsky District after the crew became disorientated following artificial horizon failure, killing all 73 on board.
;1976
:An Aeroflot Tu-104A (СССР-42371) crashed short of the runway at Borispol Airport after the engines were shut down in flight.
;13 January 1977
: Aeroflot Flight 3843, a Tu-104A (СССР-42369), crashed near Alma-Ata Airport due to loss of control following a fire in the left engine, killing all 90 on board.
;17 March 1979
:Aeroflot Flight 1691
Aeroflot Flight 1691 crashed near Moscow Vnukovo Airport on 17 March 1979 killing 58 of the 119 people on board. The Tupolev Tu-104B operating the flight was overloaded and the crew received a false fire alarm.
Accident sequence
Flight 1691 w ...
, a Tu-104B (СССР-42444), crashed while attempting to return to Moscow following a false fire alarm, killing 58 of 119 on board. The fire alarm was caused by mismatched parts in the engine. Following this accident, Aeroflot retired the Tu-104.
1980s
;7 February 1981
:Soviet Navy Tu-104A ''СССР-42332'' stalled and crashed on takeoff from Pushkin Airport due to improper loading and shifting cargo, killing all 50 on board. All remaining military Tu-104s were grounded following this accident.
Total Deaths
From this listing of crashes due to mechanical or pilot error, the total number of deaths is 939 , without the addition the Borispol Airport 1976 incident. Shot down or bombed airplanes are not in the total.
Specifications (Tu-104B)
In philately
Tu-104 is depicted on Soviet postage stamps of 1958 and 1969.
See also
References
Aviation Safety Network entry
http://www.airforce.ru/content/english-pages/2344-interview-civil-aviation-pilot-hsu-v-m-yanchenko/
External links
Aerospaceweb.org
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1950s Soviet airliners
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Aircraft first flown in 1955