Aeroflot Flight 418 Explained

Aeroflot Flight 418
Occurrence Type:Accident
Type:Undetermined (possible radar failure)
Site:Bioko, Equatorial Guinea
Coordinates:3.5°N 50°W
Aircraft Type:Tupolev Tu-154A
Operator:Aeroflot
Tail Number:CCCP-85102
Origin:Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Angola
Stopover:Malabo International Airport, Bioko, Equatorial Guinea
Stopover0:N'Djamena International Airport, Chad
Last Stopover:Tripoli International Airport, Libya
Destination:Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, USSR
Passengers:42
Crew:4
Fatalities:46
Survivors:0

Aeroflot Flight 418 was an international passenger flight operated by a Tupolev Tu-154A, registered CCCP-85102, that was operating the second leg of a scheduled LuandaMalaboN'DjamenaTripoliMoscow passenger service. The plane crashed on into a mountain near Malabo Airport on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea on 1 June 1976.

Description

The aircraft was en route from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport to Malabo International Airport when it struck a mountain high at Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. All 42 passengers and 4 crew perished.

Investigation

The cause of the accident could not be determined, but the investigation commission suspected a possible failure of the MSRP-12 radar on the aircraft may have led the crew to be unaware of their position.

See also