Pulkovo Airlines Tupolev TU-154 plane crash
Donetsk, Ukraine
Updated on
The TU-154 belonging to the Russian airline Pulkovo Airlines was operating a passenger flight between Anapa (Black Sea) and St. Petersburg (Russia). While the Russian tri-jet was flying over Ukraine, the crew issued an SOS to air traffic controllers. The aircraft disappeared from radar screens 2 minutes later. Wreckage from the aircraft was found 45 kilometers north of Donetsk (Ukraine): the Tupolev disintegrated on impact. All 160 passengers and 10 crew members were killed.
The decoding of the crew communications and flight parameters provides a somewhat clearer picture of the accident. The crew requested permission to climb to flight level FL390 (11,900 meters). In fact, a severe thunderstorm was present in the area and the captain wanted to fly above it.
But things began to go wrong when the aircraft reached an altitude higher than that authorized by air traffic controllers: 12,100 meters instead of the agreed 11,900 meters. The aircraft stalled and the crew lost control. The aircraft entered a spin at a high angle of attack, then crashed and exploded.
Severe turbulence probably played a role in the disaster. In addition, it is also possible that a fire broke out on board a few minutes before the accident.
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This accident is the 16th worst plane crash since year 2000 in terms of the number of combined onboard and ground fatalities. Watch here the list of the worst aircraft crashes since year 2000.