Soviet passenger flight involved in a 1985 aviation accident
Aeroflot Flight 7841 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Minsk in Soviet Byelorussia (now Belarus), to Leningrad (now known as Saint Petersburg), operated by a Tupolev Tu-134A on 1 February 1985, which suffered a double engine failure immediately after take off. The pilots were unable to return to Minsk, and instead made a forced landing into a forest, resulting in the deaths of fifty eight of the eighty people on board. Twenty-two people (including three crew members) survived the accident. The double engine failure was brought on by ice ingestion.
Aircraft.
The Tupolev Tu-134A, registration number CCCP-65910, involved in the accident was manufactured on 11 May 1982 and had 448 completed flight cycles prior to the accident, having entered service on 8 June 1982.
Crash.
Six seconds after takeoff, at an altitude of and with a speed of , a rapid loss of power occurred in the left-hand engine, accompanied by unusual noises ("pops") and a drop in exhaust gas temperature. The pilots levelled the wings and continued climbing, with the co-pilot reporting the engine failure to air traffic control, and requesting an immediate return to the airport. At 65 seconds after takeoff, after another loud noise, an excessive vibration alarm indicated problems with the right-hand engine. Almost immediately afterwards, the right engine failed with the aircraft at an altitude of . In an attempt to retain speed and maintain control, the captain put the aircraft into a shallow dive with a vertical speed of . The aircraft emerged from low cloud towards a forest, with some trees up to 30 m in height. At an altitude of , the aircraft began hitting the tree tops. The aircraft sustained major damage as it reached the ground, where it burst into flames except for the tail section. Of those on board, 58 were killed, but 22 survived with injuries, including both pilots.
The crash site was located east of Minsk National Airport, and was reached by search groups after three hours.
Investigation.
The investigation concluded that both engines failed due to ice ingestion, which led to compressor stall, destruction of the compressors and over-temperature of the turbine blades. Citing significant damage to the aircraft and engines, the investigators were unable to determine where the ice came from.
References.
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