The 2009 Yakutia Ilyushin Il-76 crash occurred on 1 November 2009, when an
Ilyushin Il-76 jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Mirny Airport in Yakutia, killing all 11 crew on board.
Chronology of events
The jet, owned by the
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; russian: Министерство внутренних дел (МВД), ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia.
The MVD is responsible for law enfor ...
, took off, with eleven crewmembers on board, from
Mirny Airport
Mirny Airport (russian: Аэропорт Мирный; sah, Мирнэй аэропорда) is an airport in Yakutia, Russia, located east of the mining town of Mirny. It handles medium-sized aircraft and supports 24-hour flight operations. M ...
, where the onboard cargo had been unloaded. The aircraft was bound for the city of
Irkutsk, when several minutes after liftoff it banked to the right, hit a slag heap from an old mine and crashed. It exploded on impact and caught fire, about from the airport in a deserted area. There are suggestions that the aircraft failed to gain altitude and deviated off its
flight path
In the United States, airways or air routes are defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in two ways:
"VOR Federal airways and Low/Medium Frequency (L/MF) (Colored) Federal airways"
These are designated routes which aeroplanes f ...
.
After the cargo was unloaded, the plane "took off but then deviated from the course and crashed away from the
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...
," an official from the Russian Emergencies Ministry told reporters. Reports suggest that in the days following the accident eleven bodies were pulled from the jet by rescuers.
Russia's air force had temporarily grounded all Il-76 aircraft after an engine broke off the wing of a plane while it was attempting to takeoff earlier that year. It was reported that the ban was still in place at the time of the accident, and it is not yet clear as to why the jet was used when the model had been grounded.
A special commission of the Russian Interior Ministry was assigned to investigate the cause of the accident.
The
METAR in force at the time of the accident was UERR 312330Z 22005MPS CAVOK M24/M26 Q1030 NOSIG RMK QFE741 24450245=.
[Translation of METAR: METAR for Mirny Airport, issued on the 31st of the month at 2330 UTC. Wind direction from 220° (southwest) at , unlimited visibility and ceiling, temperature , dewpoint , QNH 1030 hPa, no significant changes expected.]
Mirny plane crash 02.jpg, Wreckage of the plane
Mirny plane crash 08.jpg, Another view of the wreckage
Mirny plane crash 12.jpg, A memorial plaque for the dead
Mirny plane crash 04.jpg, Tailfin of the plane
Mirny plane crash 01.jpg, Wreckage of the plane
References
Aviation accidents and incidents in Russia
Aviation accidents and incidents in 2009
Ilyushin Il-76 crash, 2009
Accidents and incidents involving the Ilyushin Il-76
Transport in the Sakha Republic
November 2009 events in Russia
Sakha Republic
{{aviation-accident-stub