On December 14, 1942, a Tupolev ANT-20bis aircraft operated by Russian airline Aeroflot crashed during a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Urgench to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. All 36 people on board died, and the accident was due to a loss of control.[1][2]
.jpg) CCCP L-760, the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 14, 1942 |
| Summary | Loss of control |
| Site | Outside of Tashkent |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Tupolev ANT-20bis |
| Registration | L-760 |
| Passengers | 26 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 36 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aircraft
editThe ANT-20bis was built in 1938 as a production version of the ANT-20, which crashed in 1935. Compared to the ANT-20, more powerful M-34FRNV engines were installed on the ANT-20bis, which made it possible to supply six engines instead of eight, while refusing to install the engines in the upper hull.[1] The passenger capacity of the salon has increased to 64 seats. The liner received the type PS-124 (passenger aircraft of the factory No. 124) and made its first flight on May 15, 1939. Then it was transferred to Moscow, where after successfully passing the tests, it was given the tail number USSR-L760 and transferred to Aeroflot.
It was planned to build a whole series of similar aircraft. However, after the release of the first copy, the production was stopped. ANT-20bis initially performed passenger flights on a largely eastern Russian route, until December 1940 it was transferred to the special purpose squadron of the Moscow airport. Later, new 1200 hp AM-35 engines were installed on it. Since November 1941, due to military events, the liner was transferred to the civil air fleet of Uzbekistan, where it began serving Central Asian routes. On the day of the accident, the total operating time of the aircraft was 272 hours.[3]
Accident
editOn December 12, 1942, the plane flew from Urganch International Airport to Chardjou, carrying 85 passengers and ~1,925 kilograms of cargo. Two days later, on December 14, the plane continued its flight to the next destination, Tashkent. There were 10 crew members and 26 passengers on board the plane. The flight was made at an altitude of 500 meters. 2 hours and 10 minutes had passed since the plane took off, and it was between 50 and 90 kilometers from Tashkent, when the plane suddenly turned its nose down and descended, and then fell to the ground at a steep angle (about 80°) fell and disappeared completely. All 36 people on board were killed.[1][4]
Investigation
editA detailed investigation was conducted as a result of the crash. A body found in the cockpit was later determined to be that of a passenger's body. The pilots had let the passenger take control, and the passenger accidentally disabled autopilot, sending the aircraft out of control and eventually crashing.[5][6]
See also
editExternal links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Loss of control Accident Tupolev ANT-20bis CCCP-L760, Monday 14 December 1942". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Flyghistoria.se - Tupolev Ant-20 Maxim Gorkij". flyghistoria.se. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Egorov, Boris (2020-01-07). "How the Soviet Union's (and the world's) largest plane died in flames". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Катастрофа ПС-124 Узбекского управления ГВФ в районе Ташкента (борт СССР-Л760), 14 декабря 1942 года. // AirDisaster.ru - авиационные происшествия, инциденты и авиакатастрофы в СССР и России - факты, история, статистика". www.airdisaster.ru. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Aceto, Guy (2021-05-25). "The Soviet's Propaganda Plane: The Tupolev ANT-20bis". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Cluett, Nathan (2022-01-06). "Tupolev ANT-20 Maxim Gorky - Once the Largest Aircraft in the World". PlaneHistoria. Retrieved 2024-07-12.