Aeroflot Flight 31 (1955)
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 A similar aircraft to the one involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 January 1955 |
| Summary | Possible sabotage, engine failure |
| Site | 8 km (5.0 mi) northwest of Moscow-Bykovo Airport |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lisunov Li-2T |
| Operator | Aeroflot |
| Registration | CCCP-Л5000 |
| Flight origin | Bykovo Airport, Moscow |
| Stopover | Gorky Airport, Gorky |
| Destination | Koltsovo Airport, Sverdlovsk |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
Aeroflot Flight 31 was a cargo flight from Moscow-Bykovo Airport to Koltsovo Airport with a stopover in Gorky Airport. On 13 January 1955, the Lisunov Li-2 operating the route crashed during takeoff after the right engine failed. The investigation assumed a sabotage to be the cause of the crash.[1][2]
Aircraft[edit]
The accident aircraft was a Lisunov Li-2T (registration CCCP-Л5000, serial number 33444902).[3] It first flew in 1953, and its airframe had logged 2,188 hours by the time of the accident.[1]
The aeroplane was carrying 1,989 kg (4,385 lb) of cargo, which consisted of 1,828 kg (4,030 lb) of mail and newspaper, 92 kg (203 lb) of clothes, and 69 kg (152 lb) of aircraft parts to Sverdlovsk.[4]
Accident[edit]
The pilot performed takeoff at 11:28. At 20–30 m (66–98 ft), the right engine failed. Quickly, the aircraft lost height, colliding with multiple trees and hitting a house a kilometre away from the airport at 11:30, killing all five crew members on board. The wreckage then caught fire, destroying it and the house. There were no ground fatalities, as the owner had left just minutes before the crash.
Cause[edit]
The investigation determined the cause to be a sabotage, evidenced by a nut[2] or an M4 female screw[1] placed in the fuel system of the Li-2, causing the fuel pump to fail. Eight days before the crash, a similar case was reported.[1][2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "ASN Aircraft accident Lisunov Li-2 CCCP-L5000 Moskva-Bykovo Airport (BKA)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 in Moscow: 5 killed | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Карточка самолёта: Лисунов · Ли-2Т · СССР-Л5000 (зав.н. 33444902) ✈ russianplanes.net ✈ наша авиация". russianplanes.net (in Russian). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Катастрофа Ли-2 МУТА ГВФ в районе а/п Быково (борт СССР-Л5000), 13 января 1955 года. // AirDisaster.ru - авиационные происшествия, инциденты и авиакатастрофы в СССР и России - факты, история, статистика". airdisaster.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 15 December 2023.