Aviation incidents in the Soviet Union
The 5 November 1946 Vnukovo aircraft crashes were a series of three aviation accidents that occurred within an hour near Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, involving two Lisunov Li-2 aircraft and one Douglas C-47. A total of 19 people died. The press did not report these aviation accidents.
Circumstances Leading Up to the Accidents.
In early November 1946, the Moscow region experienced very poor weather conditions. Meanwhile, the anniversary of the October Revolution was approaching, and guests from various regions of the country were invited to attend. Due to the weather, crews were forced to land at alternate airfields and wait for conditions to improve. The airport administration was given the mandatory task of ensuring the guests' arrival. As a result, on November 5, the meteorological service issued a weather forecast predicting an improvement in visibility in the airport area between 15:00 and 17:00. However, when crews, having received this forecast, flew to Moscow, the actual conditions were dense fog, which made landing difficult. Consequently, 17 aircraft found themselves simultaneously in the Vnukovo airport area. The airport management did not take measures to redirect them to alternate airfields such as Klin, Solnechnogorsk, and others.
Turkmen Li-2.
The Lisunov Li-2 aircraft with tail number CCCP-Л4181, belonging to the Turkmen Territorial Administration of the Civil Air Fleet, was operating a cargo-passenger flight from Ashgabat. The crew consisted of Commander Zaerko V. I., co-pilot Kashenev B. A., flight engineer Safronov N. I., radio operator Parakhin, and flight attendant Obukhova N. I. Due to poor weather conditions in the Moscow region, the flight had been delayed in Voronezh for two days. During this time, all passengers, unwilling to wait for weather improvements, continued their journey to Moscow by train. On November 5, after receiving information about an improvement in weather conditions, the aircraft, without passengers, continued its flight to Moscow. However, due to the challenging weather conditions in the airport area and the high number of aircraft in the landing queue, Л4181 was forced to circle in a holding pattern for about two hours. The fuel supply on board was already low when at 18:07, permission to land was granted. The weather conditions at the time were very poor, with visibility of 300–400 meters and a cloud base of 30–50 meters. While performing a standard turn at low altitude, the Li-2 lost speed and crashed near the 34th kilometer of the Moscow-Minsk highway near the village of Yamishevo. All five people on board were killed, with the pilots and flight engineer dying on the spot and the radio operator and flight attendant succumbing to their injuries in the hospital.
Moscow C-47.
The Douglas C-47B aircraft with tail number CCCP-Л946 (former USAAF "43-48756") from the 10th Guards Aviation Transport Division of the Civil Air Fleet was operating an international passenger flight from Berlin (Schönefeld) to Moscow with an intermediate stop in Riga (Spilve Airport). The crew consisted of Commander Naidenko A. A., co-pilot Smosarenko V. I., flight engineer Baev M. T., and radio operator Korpich N. I. At takeoff from Riga, there were 22 passengers on board. The aircraft had been holding in the Vnukovo airport area for about two hours, after which, at 18:27, the crew began an approach to land in dense fog, with the cloud base at 10–50 meters and horizontal visibility of 600 meters. During the approach, the crew missed landing marker "T". Subsequently, at 300–400 meters beyond it and at an altitude of 10–15 meters above the ground, a decision was made to go around. The engines were suddenly throttled up, leading to a nose-up attitude. The aircraft sharply raised its nose, resulting in a rapid loss of forward speed, causing it to stall and crash 600–700 meters from the landing marker. Thirteen of the 26 people on board died in the crash.
Lithuanian Li-2.
The Lisunov Li-2 aircraft with tail number CCCP-Л4207, from the Lithuanian Separate Aviation Group of the Civil Air Fleet, was operating a passenger flight from Vilnius Airport. The crew consisted of Commander Boltenko V. F., co-pilot Dzhonzhua L. K., flight engineer Dannik I. P., and radio operator Brykov V. I. There were 22 passengers on board. The aircraft circled in a holding pattern for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the waiting area until 17:45, when the crew received permission to land. However, the automatic radio compass of this Li-2 was not functioning properly, so the approach was conducted under the supervision of an air traffic controller monitoring the aircraft on a radar. In total, five landing attempts were made, during which the controller provided more than sixty bearings. In four attempts, the crew aborted the approach and went around. During the fifth attempt, the aircraft ran out of fuel entirely. The Li-2 began to descend, struck light poles, and crashed to the ground at 18:55. One passenger died in the crash.
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