ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev Tu-154M RA-85744 Moskva-Domodedovo Airport (DME)
ASN logo
 

Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Saturday 4 December 2010
Time:14:36
Type:Silhouette image of generic T154 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Tupolev Tu-154M
Operator:Dagestan Airlines
Registration: RA-85744
MSN: 92A927
First flight: 1992
Total airframe hrs:9288
Cycles:2985
Engines: 3 Soloviev D-30KU-154-II
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8
Passengers:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 163
Total:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 171
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Moskva-Domodedovo Airport (DME) (   Russia)
Crash site elevation: 179 m (587 feet) amsl
Phase: Landing (LDG)
Nature:Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Moskva-Vnukovo Airport (VKO/UUWW), Russia
Destination airport:Makhachkala Airport (MCX/URML), Russia
Flightnumber: 372
Narrative:
A Tupolev 154M passenger jet, registration RA-85744, was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport (DME), Russia. There were 163 passengers and eight crew members on board. Two passengers were killed. Six crew members and 33 passengers were seriously injured.
The airplane's engines were started during the period from 14:00 to 14:02, in preparation for a domestic flight from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport (VKO) to Makhachkala Airport (MCX). On board were approximately 19.5 tons of fuel. The Tu-154 departed Vnukovo at 14:08. At an altitude of about 5000 m the flight engineer made manual selections to transferring fuel from one tank to another. About 14:16, while climbing through an altitude of 6500 m, there were fluctuations in the supply of fuel for all three engines. About 14:22, at a distance of about 80 km from Moskva-Domodedovo Airport and at an altitude of 9000 m engines no. 1 and 3 flamed out.
The crew decided to divert to Domodedovo Airport for an emergency landing. After a period of instability, power on the no. 2 engine was restored and continued to operate until landing.
Air traffic control radioed position reports but visual contact with the ground could not be obtained until breaking through the overcast at about 500 feet. The TU-154 landed hard to the right of runway 32R with forces of 3.5g and 5g on a second touchdown. It continued until it struck a small earthen mound beyond the end of the runway, causing it to split into three parts.
This was the same aircraft (RA-85744) that was used to transport the Belgium national football team from Brussels to Voronezh on November 16, 2010 for their match against Russia.

Probable Cause:

Probable causes (translated from Russian):
The accident with the aircraft Tu-154M RA-85744 was due to erroneous actions of the crew during the flight and while landing with one engine running, which resulted in the emergency landing in instrumental meteorological conditions and the airplane exiting the runway until it struck an earth mount which caused significant destruction of the aircraft, killing and injuring people.

The incident was made possible by a combination of the following factors:
- unintentional shutdown of supply tank booster pumps when the flight engineer carried out manual fuel transfer procedures during climb, leading to instantaneous oscillation of fuel flow to the engines and their speed, a shut down of the outer engines and power supply problems in the aircraft for 2 minutes 23 seconds due to the failure of three generators;
- failure to use all the possibilities by the crew to restore engine power;
- failure to comply with the recommendations of Section 5 of the crew "Actions in difficult situations", subsections 5.13 "Flight of two engines inoperative" and 5.14 "Approach and landing with two engines inoperative" of the Tu-154M Airplane Flight Manual;
- lack of leadership and responsibility on the part of the pilot in command, the lack of training of in crew resource management (CRM);
- difficult wind conditions at heights, and the difficulties experienced by the crew when piloting on redundant devices, further contributed to the deviation of the aircraft from landing course;
- lack of training of the crew as a whole and of each of its members individually to act in emergency situations, according to the Tu-154 M flight manual;

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: MAK Russia
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 290 days (10 months)
Accident number: final report
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Runway excursion (overrun)

Sources:
» Interfax
» Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) of Russia
» MAK Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC)

METAR Weather report:
11:30 UTC / 14:30 local time:
UUDD 041130Z 19004MPS 9999 OVC005 M01/M02 Q1010 32550195 82550195 TEMPO FZRA=
Wind 190 degrees at 4 m/s (8 kts); 500 ft. (150 m) overcast; Temperature -1°C; dew point -2°C; 1010 hPa; Freezing Rain

12:00 UTC / 15:00 local time:
UUDD 041200Z 20003MPS 160V230 9999 OVC004 M01/M02 Q1010 64550195 TEMPO FZRA=
Wind 200 degrees (variable from 160 to 230) at 3 m/s (6 kts); 400 ft. (120 m) overcast; Temperature -1°C; dew point -2°C; 1010 hPa; Freezing Rain


Photos

photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
photo of Tupolev-Tu-154M-RA-85744
accident date: 04-12-2010
type: Tupolev Tu-154M
registration: RA-85744
 

Video, social media

Aircraft history
date registration operator remarks
SEP 1992 CCCP-85744 Aeroflot registered
1994 UN-85744 Azamat leased
RA-85744 Aeroflot
1998 LZ-LTA Balkan Bulgarian Airlines
RA-85744 Aeroflot
1999 LZ-LTG Balkan Bulgarian Airlines moved to VARZ-400 at Vnukovo for rework in 2000; rework started March 2008
2008 RA-85744 Vnukovo International Maintenance Repair & Overhaul Center VARZ-400 offered for sale 13may09 with t/t 7,811 hours and 2,355 cycles
17 JAN 2010 RA-85744 Dagestan Airlines painted in South East Airlines colours

» source: Soviet Transports

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Moskva-Vnukovo Airport to Makhachkala Airport as the crow flies is 1593 km (995 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
languages: languages

Share

Tupolev Tu-154

  • 1026 built
  • 70th loss
  • 38th fatal accident
  • 37th worst accident (at the time)
  • 39th worst accident (currently)
» safety profile

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org