The 1970 Batagay An-24 crash was an aviation accident that occurred on Wednesday, January 28, 1970, in the vicinity of Batagay involving an An-24B aircraft operated by Aeroflot, resulting in the death of 34 people.
Description
The Antonov An-24B aircraft with tail number 47701 (manufacturer's serial number 59900202, built in 1965) was conducting a flight from Chersky to Yakutsk. It was piloted by a crew that included Captain (PIC) A. I. Tokarev, co-pilot V. V. Kozhushko, navigator N. A. Minin, flight engineer A. I. Zapolskikh, and a checker, the chief navigator of the Yakut Civil Aviation Directorate, Honoured Navigator of the USSR G. O. Shirinyan. On board the cabin was the stewardess S. M. Ignatyeva. On the segment from Chokurdakh to Batagay, the flight was carried out at night at an altitude of 5,700 meters under simple weather conditions. There were 28 passengers on board.[1]
Approaching Batagay Airport, the crew contacted the dispatcher and reported the estimated point of descent initiation, to which the dispatcher gave permission to descend to an altitude of 2,700 meters. He also indicated the aircraft's position relative to the airport: 125 kilometers away at an azimuth of 40° (northeast). The duties of the dispatcher at the command-dispatch center (tower) of the airport were performed by the flight supervisor when the An-24 reported reaching an altitude of 2,700 meters. The flight supervisor then clarified with the crew the distance and time of approach and whether they could see the runway. The crew responded affirmatively, intending to make an approach on a magnetic course of 47° straight-in. After receiving the affirmative response about seeing the runway, the flight supervisor allowed a descent to an altitude of 600 meters. The crew confirmed receipt of the information about descending to 600 meters, after which communication with the aircraft was lost.[1]
40 kilometers from the airport, flying at a speed of 340–350 km/h at an altitude of 1,020 meters (808 meters above the airfield level), the An-24 with a slight left bank (2—3°) and a pitch angle of 7° collided with a mountain at an altitude of 1,081 meters in the Adycha River area. The pilots saw the danger at the last moment and pulled the yokes toward themselves, but due to the terrain and continued inertia of descent, they could not avoid the collision. The airliner crashed into a slope with an inclination of 11—12° and was completely destroyed. All 34 people on board perished.[1]
Causes
Premature descent below the minimum safe altitude at night over a mountainous area, permitted by the dispatcher in violation of GA-66 rules and the flight operation manual at Batagay Airport. Lack of control over the aircraft's descent by the flight supervisor. It is likely the crew confused settlements during visual orientation.[1]
