1988 Soviet Air Force Leninakan Il-76 crash

Aviation accident in Soviet Armenia IL-76M Stargard (24132812174).jpg An Ilyushin Il-76M similar to the aircraft involved Accident 1988 12 11 Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error 15 km from Leninakan Airport Ilyushin Il-76M Soviet Air Forces CCCP-86732 Baku-Bina International Airport, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic Leninakan Airport, Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic 69 9 77 1On 11 December 1988, an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft crashed. Operated by the Soviet Air Force, the flight participated in relief efforts after an earthquake struck Armenia on 7 December. The aircraft crashed into a mountainside during an attempt to land at Leninakan, Armenia (then part of the Soviet Union), killing 77 of the 78 occupants on board. To date, it is the worst aviation disaster in Armenia. Aircraft The aircraft was ten years old at the time of the accident, having first flown in 1978.ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin Il-76M CCCP-86732 Leninakan https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19881211-0 1 January 2023 Aviation Safety Network Flight Safety Foundation The passengers were personnel of the Soviet Armed Forces—50 Azerbaijani, 13 Lezgin, 11 Russians, 2 Tatars, 1 Armenian and 1 Jew. The nine crew were Russian.Baku – [Leninakan] Gyumri Plane Crush – December 11, 1988 https://www.aniarc.am/2022/12/11/baku-gyumri-airline-disaster-december-1988/ 1 January 2023 ANI Armenian Research Center 11 December 2022 Sixty-nine people on board were young troops assigned to aid in the post-earthquake recovery.Plane hits copter in Armenia: 78 killed https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/newpaper19881212-1.1.9 25 June 2024 The New Paper 12 December 1988 9 Accident The aircraft flew as part of the relief effort following the Spitak earthquake on 7 December. It transported military personnel and equipment to aid in relief efforts following the earthquake. It departed Baku-Bina International Airport in Azerbaijan for Leninakan Airport in Armenia. The aircraft entered Leninakan Airport airspace at 06:10 Moscow time, 56 minutes into the flight, and began to descend from 5,300 m, as instructed by air traffic controllers. It struck the side of a mountain during its descent.January 2025 All nine crew and 68 of the 69 passengers died. One passenger survived the crash because he had been sleeping in a Kamaz truck loaded with mattresses at the rear of the aircraft.Прошло 19 лет с момента катастрофы азербайджанского авиалайнера, спешившего на помощь пострадавшим от землетрясения армянам 19 years have passed since the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner rushing to help Armenians affected by the earthquake https://news.day.az/society/101032.html 1 January 2023 Day.Az 11 December 2007 ru Cause A day after the crash, an Armenian spokesperson claimed the aircraft crashed after colliding with a helicopter while approaching the airport but news agencies disputed this.Remnick D. Soviet relief plane crashes, killing 78 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/12/12/soviet-relief-plane-crashes-killing-78/cdaea6b8-841d-4d96-8cc8-05dfe7b9ec61/ 1 January 2023 The Washington Post 12 December 1988 Speculations that it was shot down by Armenians also arose.14 December 2012 78 ŞƏHİDƏ BİR ABİDƏNİ ÇOX GÖRÜRLƏR THEY SEE A MONUMENT OF 78 MARTYRS TOO MANY https://musavat.com/news/olke/78-shehide-bir-abideni-cox-gorurler_139351.html?d=1 1 January 2023 az Yeni Müsavat The crash was eventually attributed to an incorrect altimeter setting by the flight crew which gave an incorrect altitude reading that was 1,100 m higher than the actual altitude. The indication on the altimeter at the time of impact was 1,425 m. Crew fatigue was also cited as a factor in the crash as the flight crew was not given enough rest after carrying out multiple relief flights the previous day.January 2025 References Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1988 Category:1988 disasters in the Soviet Union Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Ilyushin Il-76 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Armenia Category:December 1988 in Asia Category:Gyumri Category:1988 in Armenia Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving Soviet Air Force aircraft