Aeroflot Flight 5003 (1967)
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Aeroflot Flight 5003 was a Soviet domestic cargo flight that crashed during climb out on 14 January 1967. The
Antonov An-12B The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed and produced by Antonov. It was produced in many customized variants for uses within the country and for exports. More than 60 variants were produced, each having a uniq ...
was flying between
Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...
and Krasnoyarsk in Russia with a crew of six when it crashed. It was carrying industrial parts from Moscow to
Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China ...
with several intermediate stops in between, however it caught fire shortly after takeoff, resulting in a fatal accident. At the time Flight 5003 was being operated by Polar Aviation Management under
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
.


Aircraft and crew

CCCP-04343, an
Antonov An-12B The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed and produced by Antonov. It was produced in many customized variants for uses within the country and for exports. More than 60 variants were produced, each having a uniq ...
, entered operational service with
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
in 1959. It was flying under Aeroflot's Directorate of Polar Aviation with a six-member crew.Aeroflot, The Soviet Airline - At Home and Abroad by Harriett E.Porch http://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2443&context=jalc The pilots were Robert Fritsevich Bernovsky and Viktor Andrekov, with Vladimir Izmailov Prokopevich serving as the flight's radio operator. CCCP-04343 had nearly 4400 hours on its airframe and was fitted with four Ivchenko AI-20 turboprop engines.


Synopsis

Flight 5003 took off from Moscow-Sheremetyevo International Airport on 13 January 1967 and proceeded eastwards with the final destination of
Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China ...
. It made its first stop in Sverdlovsk (SVX) and then flew on to
Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...
(OVB). With a cargo of prefabricated industrial material (bearings, parts, belts, tools, plastics, enamels, etc.), Flight 5003 took off from Novosibirsk runway 07 at 06:33 KRAT on 14 January 1967, and began to make its way to
Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and mn, Эрхүү, ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 617,473 as of the 2010 Census, Irkutsk is ...
(IKT) for the third stop of the journey. Weather conditions at the time were poor with just four kilometers of visibility accompanied by snow, haze, and low cloud cover. Air traffic controllers promptly lost communications with Flight 5003. The aircraft had reached an altitude of just two hundred meters and was in the air for less than two minutes when an in-flight fire forced the pilots to attempt an emergency landing on a snow-covered field. Witnesses on the ground recalled seeing the aircraft in flames and trailing smoke. In a left bank, the aircraft's left wing struck the ground first, resulting in an explosion that completely destroyed the plane and killed all six members of the crew. The wreckage was found seven kilometers away from the airfield.


Cause

Investigators determined the cause of the crash to be the in-flight fire coupled with the harsh conditions which made an emergency landing difficult. The bodies of Flight 5003's crew were severely burned and the wreckage was so heavily damaged that determining the exact cause of the fire was not possible, though investigators believe it was the result of flammable cargo material, not the aircraft's fuel system. In addition, investigators found the pilots failed to switch on the aircraft's
firefighting Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typically ...
system.


See also

* Aeroflot Flight 5003 (1977) *
Aeroflot Flight 558 Aeroflot Flight 558 ( ''Reys 558 Aeroflota'') was a scheduled Ilyushin Il-18V domestic passenger flight from Karaganda to Moscow that crashed into a field in the Abzelilovsky District on 31 August 1972 as a result of a fire stemming from exploded ...
* Valujet Flight 592 *
UPS Airlines Flight 6 UPS Airlines Flight 6 was a cargo flight operated by UPS Airlines. On September 3, 2010, the Boeing 747-400F flying the route between Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Cologne, Germany, developed an in-flight fire, which caused the aircraft to cr ...


References

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union Aviation accidents and incidents in 1967 Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union 5003 (1967) 1967 in the Soviet Union Accidents and incidents involving the Antonov An-12 Airliner accidents and incidents caused by in-flight fires