List of accidents and incidents involving the Tupolev Tu-134 explained

The Tupolev Tu-134 has been involved in 76 hull-loss accidents for a total of 1387 fatalities.^[1]

1960s

14 January 1966

The second prototype Tu-134 (СССР-45076) crashed near Chkalovsky Airport during trials with the NII VVS after entering a dive following a turn, killing all eight on board.

7 October 1969

A Malév Hungarian Airlines Tu-134 (HA-LBC) with 53 people on board sustained substantial damage when landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol after the right hand landing gear retracted. There were no casualties.^[2]

19 November 1969

A Malév Hungarian Airlines Tu-134 (HA-LBA) overran the runway on landing at Yesilköy Airport, collapsing the landing gear. There were no casualties.

1970s

23 May 1971

Aviogenex Flight 130, a Tu-134A (YU-AHZ), landed hard and crashed at Rijeka Airport in bad weather, killing 78 of 83 on board.^[3]

16 September 1971

Malév Hungarian Airlines Flight 110, a Tu-134 (HA-LBD), crashed near Boryspil International Airport in fog following two aborted approaches after generator failure forced the crew to switch to batteries, killing all 49 on board.

8 July 1972

An Aeroflot Tu-134 (СССР-65604) burned out while parked at Murmansk Airport when a bleaching agent spilled in the luggage compartment after the suitcase it was stored in was dropped.

17 July 1972

A GosNII GA Tu-134A (СССР-65607) ditched in the Moscow Channel near Sheremetyevo Airport after both engines failed due to fuel exhaustion when the crew had forgotten to turn on the transfer pumps in time; although the aircraft was salvaged, it was written off and used as a rescue trainer until it was broken up around 2001.

30 October 1972

An Interflug Tu-134 (DM-SCA) landed hard at Schönefeld Airport in bad weather and ran off the side of the runway; the aircraft was ferried to the Soviet Union but was not repaired and was written off instead.

30 June 1973

Aeroflot Flight 512, a Tu-134A (СССР-65668), overran the runway on takeoff from Marka International Airport following an aborted takeoff when the pilot thought an engine failed, killing two of 85 on board; seven on the ground also died when the aircraft struck a building.

1 September 1975

Interflug Flight 1107, a Tu-134 (DM-SCD), descended prematurely, struck the Locator Middle Marker radio mast at Leipzig Airport and crashed after the pilot failed to check descent rate during the approach, killing 27 of 34 on board; the crew subsequently received prison sentences.

2 January 1977

While landing at Ruzyne International Airport, a CSA Czechoslovak Airlines Tu-134 (OK-CFD) collided with a CSA Ilyushin Il-18 (OK-NAA) that was taking off and veered off the runway; all 48 on board survived. The Tu-134 was written off while the Il-18 was repaired and returned to service, flying until 1981. The Il-18 is now in a museum near Prague.

2 April 1977

An Aviogenex Tu-134A (YU-AJS) crashed on landing at Léon-Mba International Airport, killing all eight people on board,^[4]

21 September 1977

Malév Flight 203, a Tu-134 (HA-LBC), struck level ground 4 mi southwest of Urziceni while on approach to Bucharest, killing 29 of 53 on board. The aircraft was flown at reduced power and the crew did not realize that the aircraft was gradually losing altitude.

22 November 1977

Interflug Flight 601, a Tu-134A (DM-SCM), landed hard at Schönefeld Airport after the pilot was unable to turn off the autopilot before landing; all 79 on board survived.

16 March 1978

A Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tu-134 (LZ-TUB) crashed near Gabare due to an unexplained abnormal descent after climbing to 4900m (16,100feet), killing all 73 on board. The crash remains the deadliest in Bulgaria.

22 March 1979

An Aeroflot Tu-134A (СССР-63501) struck trees and crashed while landing at Liepaya Airport in bad weather, killing four of five crew. The aircraft was overloaded and the center of gravity was too far forward.

19 May 1979

An Aeroflot Tu-134A (СССР-65839) ran off the runway at Ufa Airport and caught fire after landing with the landing gear brakes on; all 89 on board survived.

31 May 1979

An Aeroflot Tu-134A (СССР-65649) burned out following a hydraulic system fire after a landing gear wheel blew due to overheating during a training flight; no casualties.

11 August 1979

Two Aeroflot Tu-134s (СССР-65816 and СССР-65735) collided in mid-air near Dniprodzerzhynsk (now Kamianske) due to ATC errors, killing all 178 on board both aircraft.

1980s

23 January 1980

A LOT Polish Airlines Tu-134 (SP-LGB, Wladyslaw Reymont) overran the runway on landing at Okecie Airport; no casualties.

6 January 1981

An Aeroflot Tu-134B (СССР-65698) was on a repositioning flight from Sukhumi to Sochi when it left the runway on landing at Sochi following an unstable approach; no casualties.

28 June 1981

An Aeroflot Tu-134A (СССР-65871) caught fire while landing at Simferopol after an overheated tire blew and punctured a fuel tank; no casualties. The aircraft was taxiing for takeoff with the brakes partially on, and this overheated the wheels.

17 June 1982

A Tu-134IK (СССР-65687) operated by the Ministry of Radio Equipment Production as a flying ASW systems testbed crashed near Severomorsk-1 Naval Air Station after it struck a guy wire of a radio mast; of the 16 on board, only the pilot survived. The pilot ignored warnings from the GPWS, ATC and navigators that he was descending too fast.

14 August 1982

Aeroflot Flight 974, a Tu-134A (СССР-65836), collided on the runway at Babusheri Airport with an Aeroflot Let L-410M (СССР-67191) operating as Flight G-73, killing all 11 on board the L-410; none of the 82 on board the Tu-134 were injured.

18 February 1983

A CSA Tu-134 was hijacked between Poprad and Prague by a passenger who attacked a stewardess and attempted to enter the cockpit. He then threatened to blow up the aircraft. After refusing to surrender to security personnel on board, the hijacker was shot and later died of his injuries.

17 June 1983

An Aeroflot Tu-134A (СССР-65657) encountered turbulence over Gali, Georgia en route to Yerevan from Lvov (now Lviv); although the aircraft was able to land safely at Yerevan, it had suffered severe structural damage and was written off and used for fire tests during the investigation into the crash of Tu-134AK СССР-65120 on 2 July 1986.

5 July 1983

While en route from Moscow to Tallinn, a passenger on board an Aeroflot aircraft, probably a Tu-134, told a flight attendant that a bomb was on board and his companion would detonate it unless they were flown to London or Oslo. The hijackers agreed to a refueling stop in Kotka, Finland, but the crew landed at Leningrad instead. When a hijacker realized they had been tricked, he shouted to the other to blow up the plane. Security guards boarded the plane, shooting and killing one hijacker and arresting the other.

30 August 1983

Aeroflot Flight 5463, a Tu-134A (СССР-65129), struck the side of Dolan Mountain after the crew began descending too soon during the approach to Alma-Ata (now Almaty), killing all 90 on board.

18 November 1983

Aeroflot Flight 6833, a Tu-134A (СССР-65807), was hijacked by seven people attempting to flee the Soviet Union. The pilots performed sharp maneuvers to keep the hijackers off balance. The hijackers were forced out of the cockpit and instead of conceding to the hijackers demands, the pilot circled Tbilisi and later landed. On 19 November the aircraft was stormed by Alpha Group who arrested the surviving hijackers, but the attack killed three passengers, two crew and two hijackers. The aircraft received 108 bullet holes during the attack and was written off due to airframe deformation during the maneuvers. Four of the hijackers received the death penalty and were shot on 3 October 1984; a female co-conspirator received a 14 year prison sentence.

10 January 1984

A Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tu-134A (LZ-TUR) crashed short of the runway at Sofia Airport while attempting an overshoot after coming in too low, killing all 50 on board.

25 May 1984

Soviet Air Force Tu-134Sh2 02 lost control, broke up in mid-air and crashed near Donetsk, killing all seven on board. Two wires to the backup yaw damper had been connected backwards.

1984

An Aeroflot Tu-134A (СССР-65095) burned out at ARZ-407 at Minsk-1 International Airport; no casualties.

1 February 1985

Aeroflot Flight 7841, a Tu-134AK (СССР-65910), force-landed in a forest shortly after takeoff from Minsk-2 International Airport after both engines failed due to ice ingestion, killing 58 of 80 on board. The aircraft may have been improperly de-iced after sitting for seven days in below-zero temperatures.

3 May 1985

Aeroflot Flight 8381, a Tu-134A (СССР-65856), collided with Soviet Air Force Antonov An-26 101 red near Zolochiv due to ATC errors, killing all 94 on both aircraft.

22 June 1986

An Aeroflot Tu-134A (СССР-65142) overran the runway at Penza Airport following a rejected takeoff due to low thrust and a spurious number two engine vibration warning; one passenger (of 59 on board) died of a heart attack.

2 July 1986

Aeroflot Flight 2306, a Tu-134AK (СССР-65120), force-landed at Kopsa following an in-flight fire, killing 54 of 92 on board.

19 October 1986

A Mozambique People's Republic Tu-134A-3 (C9-CAA) crashed near Mbuzini during a thunderstorm after the pilot ignored the GPWS, killing 34 of 44 on board, including Mozambican president Samora Machel. The crash remains the deadliest in South Africa.

20 September 1986

While parked at Ufa, an Aeroflot Tu-134 was hijacked by two armed men fleeing from police; the hijackers opened fire as they attempted to seize the aircraft, killing two passengers before they themselves were shot and killed by security forces. The two men had allegedly killed two policemen who attempted to pursue them after they commandeered a taxi and forced the driver to take them to the airport.

20 October 1986

Aeroflot Flight 6502, a Tu-134A (СССР-65766), landed hard, overran the runway and crashed at Kuibyshev Airport after the pilot attempted a blind, instrument-only approach, killing 70 of 94 on board; the pilot subsequently received a 15 year prison sentence, later reduced to six years.

12 December 1986

Aeroflot Flight 892, a Tu-134A (СССР-65795), struck trees and crashed near Berlin Schönefeld Airport while attempting to switch to runway 25L after performing an approach to runway 25R (which was closed for construction), killing 72 of 82 on board.^[5]

23 July 1987

An Aeroflot Tu-134A-3 (СССР-65874) was written off at Ivanovo Airport.

17 February 1988

A Vietnam Airlines Tu-134A (VN-A108) was written off at Noi Bai International Airport.

27 February 1988

Aeroflot Flight 7867, a Tu-134AK (СССР-65675), crashed next to the runway at Surgut Airport due to crew errors while transitioning from an ILS approach to a visual landing, killing 20 of 51 on board.

11 October 1988

A CSA Tu-134A (OK-AFB) was written off following a hard landing at Prague; the aircraft was ferried to Piestany to become a snack bar.

9 September 1988

Vietnam Airlines Flight 831, a Tu-134A (VN-A102), descended too low and crashed in a rice field near Semafahkarm Village, Pathum Thani, Thailand during a thunderstorm, killing 76 of 90 on board; the aircraft was probably struck by lightning.

28 July 1989

Soviet Air Force Tu-134AK СССР-65670 crashed short of the runway at Ulan-Ude Airport at night, broke apart and burned out; no casualties.

1990s

13 January 1990

Aeroflot Flight 6246, a Tu-134A (СССР-65951), force-landed in a field near Pervouralsk following an in-flight fire, killing 27 of 71 on board; the fire was probably caused by a short circuit.

12 January 1991

A Vietnam Airlines Tu-134AK (VN-A126) landed hard at Tan Son Nhat International Airport following a sudden loss of height; all 79 on board survived.

24 January 1992

An Aeroflot Tu-134A (СССР-65053) overran the runway on landing at Chorokh Airport, collapsing the nosegear; no casualties. The runway had not been completely cleared of snow.

27 August 1992

Aeroflot Flight 2808, a Tu-134A (СССР-65058), crashed at Lebyazhy Lug (near Ivanovo) due to ATC and crew errors, killing all 84 on board.

29 August 1992

An Aeroflot Tu-134A-3 (СССР-65810) overran the runway at Kharkov after landing too late; all 58 on board survived. The aircraft was written off and used for spare parts.

20-23 September 1993

1993 Sukhumi airliner attacks

On 20 September, Orbi Georgian Airways Tu-134A's 4L-65808 and 65809 were destroyed on the ground by Abkhaz small arms fire or missiles while parked at Babushara Airport with no casualties. On 21 September, Transair Georgia Tu-134A-3 65893 was shot down by a Strela 2 SAM missile during approach to Sukhumi and crashed in the Black Sea, killing all 27 (or 28) on board. On 23 September, passengers were boarding Transair Georgia Tu-134A СССР-65001 when it was struck by rockets from an Abkhaz BM-21 Grad; the aircraft caught fire and burned out, killing a crew member; all 24 passengers escaped and survived.

22 February 1994

A Malév Hungarian Airlines Tu-134A-3 (HA-LBP) suffered a cockpit fire at Ferihegy Airport during maintenance when a cleaning chemical caught fire, killing four technicians; the aircraft was parked at the airport and scrapped in 1995.

7 May 1994

An Aeroflot-Nord Tu-134A-3 (RA-65976) left the runway on landing at Arkhangelsk Airport after the right main landing gear failed to extend; all 62 on board survived. The shock strut inner cylinder cover on the right landing gear had broken, damaging hydraulic lines.

9 September 1994

A Tu-134AK (RA-65760) operated by the Gromov Flight Research Institute (LII) of the Ministry of Aviation Industry (MAP) was acting as a photographic chase aircraft to Tupolev Tu-22M3-LL 32 red when both aircraft collided over Samoyliha, Shatura District at 30000NaN0; the Tu-134 suffered severe damage to the stabilizer and it crashed out of control, killing all eight on board; the Tu-22 was able to land safely at Zhukovsky.

18 November 1994

During a training flight, the nosegear of a Malév Hungarian Airlines Tu-134A-3 (HA-LBK) failed to lower. The crew used an axe to cut a hole in the floor and forced the nosegear down. Although the aircraft landed safely, it was written off and used for spare parts before it was broken up in 1997.

30 November 1994

During the First Chechen War, five Tu-134As (one of Aeroflot and four of STIGL) were destroyed on the ground at Grozny Airport during an attack by six Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-25s.

15 April 1995

An Imperial Air Tu-134A-3 (OB-1553) landed at Jorge Chavez International Airport with the left gear retracted after a tire blew on takeoff from Cuzco; all 73 on board survived.

24 June 1995

A Komi Avia Tu-134A (RA-65617), operating for Harka Air Services, overran the runway on landing at Murtala Muhammed Airport after landing too late, killing 16 of 80 on board.

5 December 1995

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 56, a Tu-134B-3 (4K-65703), crashed on climbout from Nakhichevan Airport due to double engine failure, killing 52 of 82 on board. Shortly after takeoff, the number one engine failed and the copilot countered the left bank, but the flight engineer reported in error that engine two had failed, although it was still working. The pilot took control, but because of the copilot's actions, he had no indication that engine one had failed. The aircraft continued climbing and the pilot ordered engine two shut down. The throttle was retarded and the flight engineer noticed that the engine was losing power; he increased the throttle, but the engine had been shut down by mistake. The flight engineer then reported that both engines had failed. A forced landing was carried out, but following a sharp right turn to avoid an apartment building the aircraft crashed.

16 November 1996

A Vietnam Airlines Tu-134B-3 (VN-A114) suffered landing gear collapse while taxiing at Da Nang Airport, injuring a crew member; the aircraft was reportedly written off.

3 September 1997

Vietnam Airlines Flight 815, a Tu-134B-3 (VN-A120), descended too low during the approach to Pochentong International Airport; despite warnings from the crew that the aircraft was too low, the pilot continued the approach. After descending to 100 feet, the pilot attempted to abort the approach, but it was too late; the aircraft struck several palm trees and crashed in rice fields short of the runway, killing 65 of 66 on board.

23 September 1999

A Vaynakavia Tu-134A (RA-65626) was destroyed in an air raid by two Sukhoi Su-25Ts while parked at Grozny Airport during the Second Chechen War.

2000s

24 August 2004

Volga-Aviaexpress Flight 1353, a Tu-134A-3 (RA-65080), exploded in mid-air and crashed near Buchalki as a result of a suicide bomber, killing all 44 on board.

10 July 2006

Russian Navy Tu-134 05 red, operating on behalf of the Black Sea Fleet Aviation unit (VVS ChF) and carrying Admiral Vladimir Masorin on an inspection trip to the Black Sea Fleet, overran the runway on takeoff from Gvardeyskoye Air Base following an aborted takeoff when the left engine failed and caught fire; all 20 on board survived, although three officers were injured. The engine failure was probably caused by a bird strike.

17 March 2007

UTair Flight 471, a Tu-134A-3 (RA-65021), landed hard at Samara Airport and broke apart, killing six of 57 on board.

26 March 2009

Russian Air Force Tu-134AK RA-65981 overran the runway on takeoff from Sokol Air Base during an aborted takeoff after encountering snow; no casualties.

2010s

20 June 2011

RusAir Flight 9605, a Tu-134A-3 (RA-65691) operating as RusLine Flight 243, crashed on the A-133 highway in fog at Besovets while on approach to Petrozavodsk, killing 47 of 52 on board. After the crash, Russia ordered all Tu-134s be removed from commercial service by 2012.^[6]

14 October 2011

Yamal Airlines Flight 16, a Tu-134A-3 (RA-65143), suffered an engine fire on takeoff from Novy Urengoy Airport; the crew was able to circle around and perform an emergency landing with no casualties to the 74 on board. The aircraft was written off and used for airport rescue service training.

28 December 2011

Kyrgyzstan Air Company Flight 3, a Tu-134A-3 (EX-020), landed hard at Osh Airport in dense fog, breaking off the right wing and rolling over. A fire erupted, but was quickly contained. All 88 on board survived.^[7] ^[8]

Notes and References

Web site: Tupolev Tu-134 Statistics. 18 October 2021.
Web site: Ranter . Harro . ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev Tu-134 HA-LBC Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport (AMS) . 2022-06-03 . aviation-safety.net.
Web site: Справка: Авиакатастрофы самолетов Ту-134 . Reference: Air crashes of Tu-134 aircraft . 18 March 2007 . Russian . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120722183058/http://www.tass-ural.ru/lentanews/27878.html . 22 July 2012.
Web site: Ranter . Harro . ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev Tu-134A YU-AJS Libreville Airport (LBV) . 2022-06-03 . aviation-safety.net.
Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 134A СССР-65795 Berlin-Schönefeld. 3 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20130626133631/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19861212-0. 26 June 2013. live.
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/169237.html
Web site: Tu-134 passenger plane crashes in Kyrgyzstan . Vestnik Kavkaza . 2011-12-28 . 2012-07-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120522162837/http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/society/21387.html . 2012-05-22 . live .
Web site: Accident: Altyn T134 at Osh on Dec 28th 2011, hard landing, gear collapse and plane rolled on back. The Aviation Herald.