1989 Soviet Air Force Caspian Sea Il-76 crash

On October 18, 1989, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76, flying from Nasosnaya Air Base in SSR Azerbaijan to Zhovtneve Air Base in SSR Ukraine, crashed into the Caspian Sea. All 57 people on board were killed. The aircraft was carrying paratroopers from the 98th Guards Airborne Division. It is the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in Azerbaijan. == Accident == On 18 October 1989, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76, with the registration CCCP-76569, carrying paratroopers from the 98th Guards Airborne Division, crashed into the Caspian Sea, killing all 57 people on board. The incident is the deadliest aviation accident in Azerbaijan history. The flight was part of a routine training exercise taking place near the city of Sumgait, situated along the Caspian Sea coast. The aircraft, en route to carry out a training mission, faced unforeseen technical difficulties shortly after departing from Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The crash prompted a swift response from search and rescue teams, who were able to recover the wreckage of the aircraft, along with the victims' remains, from the waters of the Caspian Sea. Investigations into the incident were subsequently launched to determine the precise causes of the crash. == Crew == The flight crew consisted of: Captain: Alexander Nikolaevich Kalmykov (aged 41) First Officer: Valery Viktorovich Vologin (aged 27) Flight Engineer: Alexander Nikolaevich Pesterev Navigator: Fashaddin Zakirov Flight Operator Instructor: Yury Nikolaevich Gavrikov Air Gunner: Alexander Vladimirovich Andriyash Flight Engineer Instructor: Evgeny Viktorovich Andreev Ground Engineer: Sergei Khochuevich Gashimov Ground Engineer: Igor Alexandrovich Krayukhin == Passengers (98th Guards Airborne Division) == Captain of the 98th Guards, Captain: Nikolai Nikolaevich Zorev Constable: Ruslan Isaevich Abazov Constable: Vladimir Sergeevich Ananchenko Second Lieutenant: Yury Nikolaevich Arsyonov Constable: Gennady Konstantinovich Baykov Constable: Sergei Yurievich Baykov Constable: Maxim Vladimirovich Boltushkin First Lieutenant: Evgeny Nikolaevich Borodulin Constable: Oleg Nikolaeivch Vasyuchkov Constable: Giesidin Jamalovich Vakhidov Constable: Vadim Vladimirovich Vorobyov Corporal: Vladimir Viktorovich Gaidai Corporal: Ildar Mailievich Galiveev Second Lieutenant: Alexander Petrovich Gurov Constable: Yury Alexandrovich Zhukov Sergeant: Ildar Mazganovich Zaripov Corporal: Ramil Varisovich Islamgulov First Lieutenant: Dimitry Orestovich Kovrigin Constable: Igor Gennadievich Kuznetsov Corporal: Valery Vladimirovich Kulbitskiy Constable: Ruslan Yakhievich Kutluguzin Constable: Adhamjon Toshmirzaevich Kuchkarov Constable: Yury Nikolaevich Lakov Constable: Chingizkhan Mukharbekovich Magomadov Corporal: Vladimir Gavievich Machetidze Sergeant: Oleg Vladimirovich Merzlikin Sergeant Major: Nikolai Georgievich Morozov Constable: Stanislav Vladimirovich Morozov Constable: Valery Stanislavovich Mostovskiy Sergeant: Viktor Leonidovich Motuzka Constable: Mikhail Mikhailovich Pastukhov First Lieutenant: Sergei Vitalievich Petrov Constable: Pavel Alekseevich Puzikov Sergant: Vyacheslav Semyonovich Revenko Constable: Murad Rejepovich Reznik First Lieutenant: Igor Anatolievich Reznichenko Constable: Sergei Mikhailovich Ribko Constable: Stanislav Viktorovich Svinitskiy Constable: Fazliddin Saidalievich Soliev Constable: Igor Alekseevich Streletskiy Sergeant: Vladislav Nikolaevich Suslov Constable: Sergei Vladimirovich Terekhin Sergeant: Vitaly Viktorovich Trokhalev Constable: Alexander Yurievich Khazov Sergeant: Sergei Viktorovich Chugai Constable: Vladislav Vladimirovich Chuykin Sergeant: Valery Alexandrovich Shevchenko Corporal: Sergei Mikhailovich Yapryntsev == Investigation == The cause of the accident was an engine design flaw. The inter-shaft bearing had failed, leading to the low-pressure turbine shaft fracturing from heat. == Legacy == The occupants were posthumously awarded the order "For Personal Courage". Monuments were built in Bolhrad, Ivanovo, Hvardiiske Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and in Аrtsyz, Odesa Oblast. The Blue Berets wrote a song dedicated to the crew. == References == == External links == Cockpit Voice Recording on YouTube