20 accidents of Tupolev aircraft since 2000

The Tupolev Tu-154 operated by the Russian Air Force took off from Sochi, Russia, for a military flight to Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, Syria, where Russia has a large military presence. The plane was carrying 92 people, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. The Tupolev crashed in the Black Sea, minutes after takeoff from Sochi. All 92 people onboard were killed. The plane initially took off from Moscow, Russia. En route to Latakia, the plane landed in Sochi to refuel. Shortly after it took off from Sochi, during climb, the plane made a U-turn back towards the coastline and disappeared off radar screens. The plane impacted the waters of the Black Sea and was destroyed. Wreckage was found at a depth of 50 to 70 meters. No major weather patterns were present at the time of the accident. The Tu-154 was carrying soldiers, reporters and 64 members of the famed Alexandrov military music ensemble, the army’s official choir, who were to perform for Russian troops in Syria. The plane was manufactured in 1983 and clocked 6,689 hours of flight. The last repair was on December 29, 2014, and in September 2016 it underwent scheduled maintenance.

The Tupolev TU-204 operated by Red Wings was performing a positioning flight from Pardubice, Czech Republic, to Moscow, Russia. 8 crewmembers were onboard. The plane overran the end of the runway during its landing on Moscow airport. 5 crew were killed, 3 crew are in hospital care with serious injuries. The plane performed an uneventful flight until the landing at Moscow airport. The crew performed an adequate approach to Moscow Vnukovo's runway 19 (length 3,060 meters/10,040 feet), and landed within the designated touch down zone. However, the crew was not able to stop the plane before the end of the runway. The Tupolev overran the end of the runway, broke through the localizer antenna, the airport perimeter fence, broke up and came to a stop on elevated highway M3 about 400 meters/1200 feet past the runway end. It had been snowing prior to the accident and there was a significant cross wind with gusts up to 29 knots. A measurement of the runway friction coefficients 15 minutes after the accident with calibrated equipment determined a value suitable for landing of the aircraft.

The Tupolev TU-134A operated by Altyn Air (alias Kyrgyzstan Altyn) took off from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for a passenger flight to Osh, Kyrgyzstan. 82 passengers and 6 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crash-landed on Osh's airport. 31 people received injuries. The airplane landed hard in dense fog. The hard landing caused the right main gear to collapse. This resulted in the right main wing separation and the airplane rolling on its back. A fuel leak on the left wing ignited a fire, which was quickly extinguished by airport emergency services.

The Tupolev Tu-134A-3 operated by RusAir on behalf of RusLine took off from Moscow, Russia for a passenger flight to Petrozavodsk, Russia. 43 passengers and 9 crewmembers were onboard. The aircraft crashed while on short of the runway while approaching its final destination. 47 occupants were killed, and 5 survived with injuries of varying degree (from medium to critical). The plane was on approach to Petrozavodsk airport when it clipped some trees and a high power line. The aircraft subsequently crashed on a highway, broke up and burst in fire. The plane came to rest about 390 meters to the right of the runway's extended centerline and 570 meters short of the runway threshold. Debris are scattered on the highway and in the nearby gardens of several private homes at the outskirts of the Besovets village. No home was hit. Weather reports indicated a poor visibility of about 2000 meters (6500 feet), rain and overcast cloud at 400 ft (120 meters). Petrozavodsk's runway 01/19 (former 02/20) is 2500 meters/8200 feet long. The airport offers non-precision NDB approaches to runway 01 and 19.

The Tupolev Tu-154B-2, operated by Kogalymavia, was scheduled from Surgut, Russia, to Moscow, Russia. 116 passengers and 8 crewmembers were onboard. The plane has been destroyed by a fire while taxiing, just before takeoff. Three people died in this accident. The airplane had just been pushed back, the engines were being started when ground staff ordered an emergency shut down of the engines due to a fire that broke out in the rear of the aircraft between frames 62 and 65 (neither engines nor the APU were the source of the fire). The engines were shut down, the airplane de-powered and an evacuation was initiated. The fire reached rapidly the inside of the passenger cabin. Emergency services were able to extinguish the fire about 42 minutes after the fire broke out. A passenger said that the flames began to spread, especially after one of the passengers opened an emergency exit and air rushed in. The plane then quickly filled up with smoke that was black and acrid from burning plastic. 3 people died in this accident. 10 people were seriously injured, including six who were badly burned and four who suffered broken bones or other trauma. Most of the other injured passengers sought treatment for poisoning after inhaling toxic fumes.

The Tupolev TU-154M operated by South East Airlines (formerly known as Daghestan Airlines) took off from Moscow, Russia, for a passenger flight to Makhachkala, Russia. 163 passengers and 9 crew were onboard. The plane crashed 30 minutes after takeoff, while trying to make an emergency landing. 2 passengers were killed, 19 people received serious and 37 people received minor injuries. The airplane departed from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport with 19.5 tons of fuel on board. The aircraft became airborne at 14:08L (i.e local time), at 14:16L at a height of 6500 meters (21000 ft) the flight data recorder recorded first fluctuations in fuel supply to all three engines, at an altitude of about 9000 meters (29500 ft) engines #1 and #3 (left and right engines) failed. The crew reported the loss of two engines together with navigation equipment, and requested to divert to Moscow Domodedovo about 80 km (43 NM) from their present position. Engine #2 (central engine) became unstable as well but was recovered and continued to run until after landing at 14:36L. The airplane glided to a hard landing on Domodedovo's runway 32R in freezing rain about 30 minutes after departure, went off the runway and impacted a small earthen mound. The plane split in three parts, but no fire erupted. The fuel at Vnukovo was analysed and was found in compliance with all required fuel quality standards. Other aircraft having been fueled from the same supplies have reached their destinations safely. Shortly after the crash, passengers started surfacing from the smoldering wreck as firefighters and medics arrived at the scene.

The Tupolev 154M passenger jet, operated the Polish Air Force, took off from Warszawa, Poland, for a passenger flight bound for Smolensk, Russia. 88 passengers and 8 crewmembers were onboard, including the Polish President Lech Kaczynski. The plane was destroyed when it crashed on approach to Smolensk Airport in poor visibility. All 96 people on board were killed. Weather conditions at Smolensk were reportedly poor, with heavy fog. The airplane was on its first approach, when he was advised by Air Traffic Controller of a very poor visibility of 400 meters due to fog and recommended to divert to another airport, but the crew however responded that they would give it one try and divert thereafter if they were not able to land. The final approach was flown on autopilot and autothrust. 18 seconds prior to impact with the first obstacle the terrain avoidance warning system warned the crew of the risk a collision with the terrain. 5 seconds prior to impact with first obstacles the decision was made to go around and the autopilot was disconnected. The airplane first impacted a barrier 40 meters (130 ft) left of the extended centerline of the runway and 1100 meters (3500 ft) before the threshold of the runway. At this distance the tri-jet should have been at a height of 60 meters (200 ft), the standard for a 3° glideslope. The third impact with an obstacle, an 8m-tall birch tree of 30-40cm trunk diameter contacted by the left hand wing, 840 meters (2700 ft) before the runway threshold and about 80 meters (260 ft) left of the extended runway centerline, led to the first break up of the aircraft in flight, the aircraft rolled inverted and impacted ground 5 seconds later. The airplane came to rest about 350-500 meters (1150–1600 ft) short of the runway threshold and about 150 meters (500 ft) left of the extended runway centreline. Impact forces were estimated in excess of 100G and were not survivable. Investigators noted the unusual crew interaction performed during this flight, due to the introduction of a navigator among the crewmember. No procedures were available for that type of crew combination and interaction, as the airplane is usually flown with a 3-man cockpit (captain, first officer, and engineer) and all training, documentation and manuals were set up only for a crew of three. The cockpit voice recorder also revealed that persons not belonging to the flight crew were on the flight deck about 20 minutes prior to impact. Rescuers that arrived on the crash scenes saw pieces of the plane scattered widely amid leafless trees and small fires burning in woods shrouded with fog. A tail fin with the red and white national colors of Poland stuck up from the debris. Three flights were to land at the Air Base in that period of time: the first was a Yakovlev YAK-40 carrying journalists accompanying Poland's president, which made a safe landing. The second was a Russian Ilyushin IL-76, which diverted after two unsuccessful approaches. The third was the presidential Tupolev TU-154M. Polish Aviation Accident Investigation Commission have released in July 2011 their final report. It concludes that the immediate cause of the accident was the descent below the minimum descent altitude at an excessive rate of descent in weather conditions which prevented visual contact with the ground, as well as a delayed execution of the go-around procedure. Those circumstances led to an impact on a terrain obstacle resulting in separation of a part of the left wing with aileron and consequently to the loss of aircraft control and eventual ground impact. Circumstances contributing to the accident were: Failure to monitor altitude by means of a pressure altimeter during a non-precision approach; Failure by the crew to respond to the PULL UP warning generated by the TAWS; Attempt to execute the go-around maneuver under the control of ABSU (automatic go-around); Approach Control confirming to the crew the correct position of the airplane in relation to the RWY threshold, glide slope, and course which might have affirmed the crew's belief that the approach was proceeding correctly although the airplane was actually outside the permissible deviation margin; Failure by LZC to inform the crew about descending below the glide slope and delayed issuance of the level-out command; Incorrect training of the Tu-154M flight crews in the 36 Regiment. The reports also identified that Unfavourable factors were: Incorrect coordination of the crew's work, which placed an excessive burden on the aircraft commander in the final phase of the flight; Insufficient flight preparation of the crew; The crew‘s insufficient knowledge of the airplane's systems and their limitations; Inadequate cross-monitoring among the crew members and failure to respond to the mistakes committed; Crew composition inadequate for the task; Ineffective immediate supervision of the 36 Regiment's flight training process by the Air Force Command; Failure by the 36 Regiment to develop procedures governing the crew's actions in the event of failure to meet the established approach criteria, using radio altimeter for establishing alarm altitude values for various types of approach, and distribution of duties in a multi-crew flight; Sporadic performance of flight support duties by LZC over the last 12 months, in particular under difficult weather conditions, and lack of practical experience as LZC at the SMOLENSK NORTH airfield.

The Tupolev Tu-204-100 belonging to Aviastar took off from Hurghada, Egypt, for a ferry flight to Moscow, Russia. Eight crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed during approach to Moskva-Domodedovo Airport, in a forest, about one kilometre short of the runway. Among the eight people onboard, four were seriously injured, and four others escaped without major injuries. Due to heavy fog on Moscow airport, the plane had to wait on a holding pattern. He then began an approach to Moscow airport, and attempt to land at night in fog and poor visibility. The crew did not report any failures, malfunctions, or the intention to make an emergency landing. But around one kilometre from touchdown the aircraft lost communication and disappeared from radar screens. Search efforts found the Tu-204's wreckage in woodland, where trees reached a height of up to 30m (100ft). There was no explosion or fire. First reports shows that the plan ran out of fuel while on holding pattern, and was not able then to reach the runway. Russian Aviation Authorities have banned Aviastar, with immediate effect, from conducting passenger transport.

The Tupolev 154M, belonging to Taban Air took off from Abadan, Iran, bound for Mashhad, Iran. 157 passengers and 13 crew members were onboard. The aircraft crash landed and caught fire at Mashhad Airport. Some 46 people reported injured and hospitalized. The flight originated in Abadan Airport, and initially diverted to Isfahan because of poor weather at Mashhad Airport. It landed uneventfully at Isfahan, and took off later to eventually reach its destination airport. However, bad weather was still prevailing when the plane landed, and the Tupolev 154 left the runway and the tail broke apart. The accident was immediately followed by a fire in the aft part of the plane.

The Caspian Airlines Tupolev 154M passenger plane was destroyed when it struck terrain near Qazvin, Iran, 16 minutes after takeoff. The airplane was en route from Tehran, Iran to Yerevan, Armenia. 153 passengers and 15 crewmembers were onboard. All 168 people aboard were killed. A few minutes after takeoff, the plane reached the altitude of 34000 feet (around 10000 m). The Tupolev 154 was in normal operation at that altitude. Three minutes before the crash, the plane suddenly turned 270 degrees and entered a rapid descent to 14000 feet (around 4200 m) in just 90 seconds. Air traffic controllers attempted to contact the flight, but there was no response. They asked two planes that were in the area to contact the doomed plane, but these attempts failed too. It crashed about 16 minutes after takeoff near the village of Jannat Abad outside the city of Qazvin, around 75 miles (120 km) northwest of Tehran. The airplane exploded on impact and disintegrated. The impact gouged a deep trench in the dirt field (a 10 meters deep crater), which was littered with smoking wreckage and body parts. Much of the wreckage was in small shreds. The plane suffered technical problem and was trying to find a place to land, when it crashed. Witnesses reported that the tail and at least one of the tail engines were on fire as the plane plummeted.

The Tu-134 passengers jet owned by Russian airline UTAir, carrying 50 passengers and seven crewmembers, was commuting from the Siberian city of Surgut to the western city of Belgorod with a stop in Samara, a city on the Volga River, about 885 kilometres southeast of Moscow. Weather conditions were very poor at Samara as the twin-engine plane approached the airport: horizontal visibility was 150 meters and vertical visibility was 300 feet. Heavy and freezing fog had surrounded the area. The airplane contacted the ground 400 m short of the runway. The left wing hit the ground and separated from the fuselage. Then the plane rolled on its back and the fuselage broke apart. 6 passengers died, 20 occupants were injured and 31 escaped without injury. Prosecutors investigating the crash in the central Russian city of Samara said bad weather and pilot error were the most likely causes. After the crash, the plane's wrecked fuselage lay on thick snow yards from the landing strip. It took several minutes to the rescuers to reach the crash scene. The plane’s wings, tail and engine were scattered about as rescuers worked to evacuate surviving victims and bodies of the dead and police searched for clues.

The flight by Iran Airtour, which is affiliated with Iran's national air carrier, was arriving from Bandar Abbas on Iran's southern coast when the accident occurred. It skidded off the runway as it was landing to Mashad Airport (MHD/OIMM), Iran, and raked its wing along the ground, sparking a fire that killed 29 of the 148 people on board. Survivors said the plane was shaking after landing. A survivor also said that he heard a huge sound from underneath the plane. Then they feel the plane lurching to the left and sliding on the ground. Finally a fire started from the front of the plane, and all the passengers rushed to the emergency exit. The root cause of the accident could be one or several tyres burst, resulting in a decrease of the braking efficiency, and a lost of the landing trajectory control. Pictures showed a broken-up plane with parts of its fuselage charred. The cockpit appeared largely unaffected by the fire, as did much of the rear portion of the aircraft.

The aircraft departed Moscow'Domodedovo Airport a scheduled passenger flight to Volgograd. A bomb made the plane exploded shortly after take-off, killing all 43 passengers and crew-members on board. This day, both Volga-Aviaexpress Tupolev TU-134 and Siberia Airlines Tupolev TU-154 have been the target of the same terrorism group. The planes went down within 20 minutes of each other. Traces of the explosive Hexogen were found in the remains of the planes. The subsequent investigation has found out that the bombs were triggered by two female Chechen suicide bombers. They had taken aside on arrival and were handed to a police captain in charge of antiterrorist precautions, but they were released without apparently having been searched and questioned.

The aircraft, on a passengers flight from Moscow, Russia to Barcelona, collided with a DHL Aviation Boeing 757 near Ueberlingen on the northern shore of Lake Constance, which borders Switzerland and Austria, around 11:43pm local time. Both aircraft were level at FL360, under Swiss air traffic control (Zurich). Approximately 50 seconds before the collision, Swiss ATC instructed the Russian Tupolev to descend from FL360 to FL350 to avoid a conflict with the DHL Boeing 757. No response was registered by the Russian crew. A second descent instruction was made by Swiss controllers seconds later, and the Tupolev crew acknowledged the instruction. The TU-154 initiated its descent about 25 seconds before the collision. At nearly the same instant, the Boeing 757's TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) issued a Resolution Advisory (RA) in response to the threat of a collision with the TU-154, and the pilots began a descent in an attempt to avoid the Russian aircraft. The aircraft collided at FL354, broke apart and crashed, with debris scattered over an area nearly 40km wide. Both crew members were killed in the DHL plane, and all 69 passengers and crew members died in the Bashkirian plane. This accident raised the problem of the crew decision when both the TCAS and the air traffic controller give opposite orders.

The aircraft was on a passenger flight from Tehran (Iran) to Khorramabad (Iran). The TU-154 crashed into mountainous terrain in poor weather conditions while on approach to Khorramabad. All 118 passengers and crew members onboard were killed.

The aircraft exploded over the Black Sea while on a passenger flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to Novosibirsk, Russia via Bugas, Bulgaria. The pilot of a nearby aircraft reported seeing the aircraft explode at 33,000 feet, fall into the Black Sea, and explode again on impact.

The aircraft was operating on a passenger flight from Yekaterinburg to Vladivostok with an intermediate stop at Irkutsk. Two approaches to the airport were aborted. During the last approach to land, the aircraft entered a flat spin. The captain ordered the throttles to be advanced, but the crew was unable to regain control. After spinning for 22 seconds, the aircraft slammed down on its belly, broke up and burned.. All 145 passengers and crew members were killed.