39 years ago, on August 11, 1979, the one of the worst plane crashes in the history of the USSR: two Tu-134 passenger planes collided in the sky over Dneprodzerzhinsk. As a result, 178 people died, including 17 members of the football team "Pakhtakor". The air traffic controllers were found guilty of this tragedy, although the circumstances of the disaster seem too strange to many and still cause many versions of its causes.
One of the liners was heading from Voronezh to Chisinau, there were 88 passengers and 6 crew members on board. The second plane was flying from Tashkent to Minsk. In addition to 14 football players, a coach, a doctor and an administrator, there were 60 more passengers and 7 crew members on board. In this disaster, all 178 people died, including 36 children.
The plane crash was reported in the media only a week later, and even then in passing, on the last page of a sports publication, in a small article that talked about the funeral of dead football players in Tashkent. There was no information about this in the central press. The tragedy would not have become so resonant if members of the major league football team were not among the dead. According to many fans, it was the best squad in the history of the Tashkent club. The team was heading to the next match of the USSR championship in Minsk, where they were supposed to play with the local Dynamo.
Miraculously, the head coach of the team Oleg Bazilevich survived, who went to see his family and had to travel to Minsk on his own. The masseur of the club, Dvornikov, was also lucky to avoid the tragedy: the day before, he and his friends drank too much and missed the flight. But one of the best players on the team, Mikhail An, had been injured a few days before and was not supposed to fly, but he was persuaded to go along with everyone for the company. Accidentally got on the flight and Sirojiddin Bazarov - a player of the youth team, who celebrated his 18th birthday the day before and stayed for a day in Tashkent.
Two dispatchers of the Kharkov control center, Nikolai Zhukovsky and Vladimir Sumsky, were found guilty of the tragedy. Both aircraft went across each other at an altitude of 8400 meters. The shift supervisor Sergeev sent a young inexperienced dispatcher Zhukovsky to a difficult site. According to his calculations, the planes should have passed the conditional intersection point with a difference of three minutes, but in fact the interval was less than one minute. Sumskoy checked the young colleague's calculations and discovered an error. He took control and ordered the Belarusian airliner to take another flight level (go to an altitude of 9000 meters).
The dispatcher received an indistinct answer, but did not require confirmation of the execution of his command. At that moment, 11 aircraft were in touch at the same time. Due to radio interference and overlapping replicas, the Tu-134 board did not accept the dispatcher's command. The collision took place in overcast conditions, and the crews could not notice each other in advance. Dispatchers Sumy and Zhukovsky were sentenced to 15 years in a penal colony. The first served a term of 6.5 years, after which he was released, and the second, according to rumors, committed suicide.
Later, several versions were put forward about the causes of the disaster. According to one of them, the tragedy happened through the fault of the first person of the state: allegedly, the airspace that day was “cleared” due to the fact that Brezhnev was flying south. But, as it turned out, at that time he had already been in the Crimea for several days. Shortly before the disaster, a “literal” flight really took place, as the transportation of dignitaries was called. Echelons of traffic were released for him, but this did not create any additional difficulties - the collision occurred an hour and a half after that.
Coach Oleg Bazilevich later expressed this version: “ It seems to me that Pakhtakor died due to the carelessness of our air defense, became their next victim. The plane, I believe, was shot down where it should not have appeared ... It's just that due to a controller's mistake, the flight with the players flew into the airspace over some kind of defense facility ...". Some relatives of the dead football players also adhered to this version. However, no military exercises were conducted on this territory at that time, and it is hardly possible to view defense facilities from a height of 8400 meters in cloudy conditions. In addition, the nature of damage from an explosion is significantly different from damage from a collision and a fall.
Obviously, the controller’s mistake was the cause of the collision: having received an indistinct answer from the pilot, he had to duplicate the command and demand re-acknowledgment of its receipt (this is what the court called “a gross violation of the phraseology of the radio exchange”).
After the disaster, they assembled a new team of players from 15 clubs. It was decided to keep Pakhtakor's place in the top league of the USSR championship for three years. The team finished that season in ninth place. The death of football players shocked Uzbekistan. Journalist Eduard Avanesov responded to this tragedy with a requiem, which included the following lines:
Years fly, but the pain does not subside,
My sadness soared above the mountains.
Birds die in flight
You also died in flight, Pakhtakor.
The details of this plane crash became known only a few years later, as well as many other tragic pages in the history of the Land of Soviets. Today is about
, interesting and fun to read. After all, such stories are transferred to a completely different era.
The plane, on board of which, among other passengers, was Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense, crashed on 29 November. The players were heading to the city of Medellin, where the final match of the Copa Sudamericana against Atlético Nacional was to take place. According to the latest data, out of 72 passengers and 9 crew members who were on board, six people survived. Photos and videos appear on the Internet that were taken before departure and in the cabin.
The tragedy occurred in the province of Anticoia in the La Unión region, 50 kilometers from the city of Medellin. After it became known that a plane crash had occurred, help was sent to the crash site. Access to the crash site and the rescue operation was difficult due to adverse weather conditions - heavy rain. Six survivors were found at the scene.
According to preliminary data, the plane crash was either due to a lack of fuel or due to electrical problems. Experts note that the plane used up all the fuel, for this reason it did not explode and there were living people. Experts also suggest that the crew of the aircraft deliberately circled over the area and used up all the fuel so that the plane did not explode when it fell. The aircraft broke into two parts. After hitting the ground, 75 people were killed. According to press reports, stewardess Jimena Suarez, journalist Rafael Enzel, as well as four Chapecoense players survived: defender Alan Ruschel, goalkeepers Marcos Danilo and Jackson Folman and an unnamed football player. Later, information appeared in the media that another living player had been found - Neto, the team's defender.
After the tragedy, the President of Brazil declared three days of mourning. In the city of Chapeco, mourning will last 30 days.
Plane crash in Colombia November 29, 2016 video
Plane crash with Brazilian football players in Colombia 11/29/2016 photo
Brazilian soccer players lose their lives in a plane crash at the peak of their careers
A major plane crash occurred in Colombia: a plane crashed, carrying 72 passengers and 9 crew members, including the Brazilian football team Chapecoense. Together with the team, the son of Paulo Paixau, who coached CSKA Moscow, died. Anderson Paishau was 27 years old.
A rescue and search operation was launched in the area of the tragedy. From the rubble near the Colombian city of Medellin managed to extract a few survivors. Among them are the players who flew to the match in the South American Cup.
The media note that recently the team has been successful: for the first time since its inception, it entered the Brazilian first division. Shortly before the crash, the players were smiling and joking.
According to the police who worked at the scene of the tragedy, the death of 76 people was confirmed. Antioquia provincial police chief General José Acevedo said there was no hope of finding other survivors. Poor visibility remains in the crash area due to tropical rains that have been falling there over the past few days. The search was also complicated by the fact that the wreckage was located in a remote mountainous area.
It is reported that the crew before the crash contacted the airport, to which he was already approaching, and reported that there was a power failure on board and fuel was running out. Lack of fuel is considered one of the versions of the cause of the tragedy. According to the British tabloid Daily Mirror, the pilot managed to get rid of the remaining fuel seconds before the crash so that the fall did not provoke an explosion. Judging by the photo from the scene of the tragedy, the plane broke in two.
The crashed vessel (a British-made BAe 146 commercial mid-size jet) belonged to the Bolivian-Venezuelan charter airline Lamia.
The Chapecoense team of 22 people, as well as the coaches, journalists and guests who accompanied them, with the participation of the Colombian club Atlético Nacional. Athletes' Instagram accounts are full of funny photos taken at the airport and on the plane.
According to the Colombian English-language edition of The City Paper Bogota, the Brazilians flew first on Monday from Sao Paulo, made a stop in Bolivia and flew from Bolivian Santa Cruz to Medellin. About fifty kilometers remained before the destination when the crew reported an emergency on board.
At least three of the players survived: defender Alan Ruchel, 27, and goalkeepers Marcos Danilo Padilla, 31, and Jackson Vollmann, 24. Ruchel is known to have a broken hip and a head injury. The Daily Mirror notes that in the hospital in La Seja, he even found the strength to ask the doctors to look after his wedding ring. Flight attendant Jimena Suarez and Brazilian journalist Rafael Enze were also taken to the hospital. The Colombian civil aviation authority said that in addition to the three football players and the journalist, two crew members were found alive. But on the way to the hospital, one of the found people died.
From the MK dossier:
Plane crashes that killed athletes
February 6, 1958— the plane of the British airline British European Airwaysruen crashed after the third attempt to take off at the airport of Munich (Germany). On board were the players of the English football club Manchester United, as well as several coaches, fans and journalists. Of the 44 people on board, 23 were killed.
July 16, 1960- in the Danish city of Øresund, a plane crashed on which the players of the Danish national football team flew to the match. As a result of the crash, all 8 passengers died. The pilot miraculously survived.
August 11, 1979- in the USSR, as a result of a collision in the sky of two Tu-134 aircraft, 17 players and coaches of the Tashkent club Pakhtakor, flying to Minsk for the next match of the USSR championship, were killed.
June 7, 1989- when landing at the airport of Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, the plane DC-8-62, which arrived from Amsterdam, crashed. Among the victims are 23 Dutch football players of Surinamese origin.
April 27, 1993- As a result of a plane crash in the sea off the coast of Gabon, 18 Zambian footballers were killed flying to the qualifying match for the World Cup with the Senegal national team.
September 7, 2011- after takeoff from the airport of Yaroslavl, the Yak-42D plane crashed, on board of which there was a hockey team Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl). 44 people were killed (36 passengers and 8 crew members).
Help "MK": The Chapocoense Football Club came into existence in 1973 as a result of the merger of two teams, Atlético Chapocoense and Independente. It took less than 5 years for the club to become the winners of the Santa Catarina state championship and win the right to play in the top Brazilian division, in which, however, Chapocoense did not stay for a long time and in subsequent years the team took part in lower rank tournaments. In 2013, the club from Chapeco returned to the elite Brazilian division.
EXPERT OPINION
There was a version that the plane crashed allegedly because the pilots did not have enough fuel to land. How is this possible? This question was answered by the former pilot of Aeroflot, a pilot with 45 years of experience Vladimir Salnikov:
The amount of refueling of the aircraft is selected taking into account the distance to the destination and the distance to the reserve airfield. So that suddenly, due to some reason - bad weather, unsuitability of the runway, other troubles - the commander had the opportunity to go to an alternate airfield.
But it happens when you come to an alternate airfield, and some kind of cloud also flies there and it starts to rain or snow, that is, the weather is not suitable for landing under the conditions of the commander’s allowed minimum. It is in such a case that refueling should be enough to reach the reserve airfield plus 30 minutes. This is a general rule, enshrined in ICAO standards.
During these 30 minutes you can walk in the waiting area, waiting for the weather. But if suddenly the weather still does not improve, then the commander is given the right to land the aircraft in violation of the landing minimum allowed to him. That is, the commander, as it were, is offered a choice: either to land in the mountains, in the steppe, or still at the airfield, where there are at least some landing systems.
At the same time, keep in mind: we, the pilots, work out situations of this kind on simulators. When we train, sometimes we are exposed to extreme weather conditions. That is, the pilot always has the opportunity, even if not 100%, but at least 90%, to try to apply these skills.
In my entire 45-year flying practice, I can recall about seven such cases when guys in our country came to an alternate airfield and were forced to land below their minimum while there was still fuel in the tanks. Yes, extreme conditions, but all the landings were successful. For skill and courage, such pilots were usually thanked, sometimes even awarded orders for making a competent decision.
Why the commander here did not decide to land at the alternate airfield, I do not know. If there was a very heavy downpour, then in this case, ICAO documents gave him the right to use the chance and land the plane in worse conditions than those in which he was prepared to fly. He did not take advantage of this opportunity. What he hoped for, I can’t understand, especially since everything happened in the mountains.
In this case, I would have made more than one attempt at a landing approach at an alternate airfield in a downpour, but I would definitely have tried to land. And even if the plane slid off the runway, rolled out somewhere, it's all the same. It is better to have light injuries, but live passengers on board, than to kill everyone. And when the fuel runs out, the pilot is already powerless, the plane becomes uncontrollable - it flies wherever God sends it.
On the night of Monday to Tuesday, Moscow time, a plane crash occurred in Colombia near Medellin Airport. The Brazilian team was on board the airliner. "Chapecoense", flying to the final match of the South American Cup with the Colombian "Atletico Nacional". "SE" gives the main facts of the tragedy.
The plane disappeared from the radar screens at 22.15 local time. Later it became known that the liner crashed on the territory of Colombia in the province of Antioquia. The flight crew informed the airport controllers of Medellin Cordoba about the lack of fuel. The flight received priority for an emergency landing but was unable to land.
On board the aircraft was 81 people - 72 passengers and 9 crew members. Among the passengers were the Brazilian team "Chapecoense", flying to the final match of the Copa Sudamericana with the Colombian "Atletico Nacional", coaching staff, technical staff, and journalists.
According to official data, it was found 6 survivors, including three players - defender There is not, goalkeeper Jackson and defender Alana Rushela.
One of the possible causes of the crash is called the lack of fuel.
Football club "Chapecoense"(literal translation of the name - Chapeco City Football Association) was founded on May 10, 1973 when the clubs merged "Atletico Chapecoense" and "Independente", five-time Santa Catarina State Champion (1977, 1996, 2007, 2011, 2016), two-time Santa Catarina State Cup Winner (1979, 2006), Series B Silver Medalist (2013), Series C Bronze Medalist (2012), Bronze Medalist series D (2009).
The Avro RJ-85 is a commercial mid-size jet aircraft manufactured by British Aerospace (UK) from 1983 to 2003. The liner carrying Chapecoense was in operation for 17 years. It is also reported that the same plane transported the Argentina national team to the match with Brazil (0:3) in the qualifying tournament of the 2018 World Cup.
In Brazil, a three-day mourning has been declared, and in the state of Santa Catarina - a 30-day mourning. The celebration of Christmas and New Year is in question.
Rescuers found the "black box" of the crashed plane.
The condition of the survivors is said to be critical.
Football - "Pass from abroad"
Ex-coach of CSKA Zico honored the memory of the victims of today's disaster near Medellin by posting a black square on his Instagram. The message of the legendary football player began with the phrase "I have never lost so many friends."
Football - "Pass from abroad"
Atlético Nacional head coach Reinaldo Rueda said that his team flew six times on the plane that crashed today.
I deeply regret the loss of all passengers, including the Chapecoense. I especially regret the death of the crew, which was well known to us. We flew six times with them. The last time we flew on this plane was on November 3rd from Asuncion, returning from the match against Cerro Porteño. This is all very difficult to accept.
Football - "Pass from abroad"
The Colombian Department of Civil Aviation has issued an official statement regarding the downing of the aircraft carrying the Brazilian Chapecoense. At the moment, 75 dead and six survivors are known. All of them were taken to the hospital.
70% of the bodies were found in the fuselage, 30%, including survivors, were found near the aircraft. The search operation involved 150 people. The black box has not yet been found.
Football - "At their gates"
Terek expressed his condolences.
Football - "Pass from abroad"
A young Chapecoense fan.
In Colombia, near Medellin, a plane crashed with 72 passengers, among whom were footballers from the Brazilian club Chapecoense, who were to take part in the first final match of the Copa Sudamericana against the Colombian Atlético Nacional.
Right now, 75 deaths are known. The full list of people who got on board is known - in addition to the players and the crew of the aircraft (there were 9 crew members), the leaders of Chapecoense, the coaching staff, technical staff, journalists and honored guests were present. Among the passengers was the son of Paulo Paixao, former CSKA fitness coach.
What team crashed?
Chapecoense is a little-known team in Russia, there are no players familiar to our fans playing for it. Chapecoense languished at the bottom for a long time, in Serie D, left it in 2009, and in 7 years reached the final of the South American Cup. This fall, Chapecoense reached such a high point for the first time in history. The match in Colombia was to be the most important in club history ...
How did it happen?
Citing Colombian sources, the Brazilian Globo reports that the plane lost contact with the ground shortly after midnight and crashed 30 km before its scheduled arrival. Controllers lost contact with the pilots as the plane flew over the cities of La Seja and Aberhorral. The missing aircraft began flying at 15:35 local time from Sao Paulo, landing in Eastern Bolivia, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The plane crashed in the city of La Union, 30 km from Medellin.
It did not explode largely thanks to the efforts of the crew - the pilots knew that the plane was running out of fuel and circled over the area. If not for this, the explosion would have been inevitable.
The first pictures have already been received from the scene.
Why did this happen?
Mayor of the City of La Seja Elkin Ospina stated that the cause of the plane crash was a lack of fuel. Another version, in an official release from the aviation authorities, says that the plane crashed due to electronics failure.
What was the team flying?
The Chapecoense flew on charter aircraft CP-2933. At the beginning of the month, the Argentina national team flew on it.
During the fall, the plane split in half. It is important that the SR-2933 has already suffered 10 air crashes, and most of them during the landing approach.
What do they say at the scene?
The rescue operation at Medellin airport is carried out by more than 90 rescuers from nearby cities - La Union, Rionegro, El Carmen de Vibroal and La Seja. Heavy rain complicates the situation. A state of emergency has been declared in the city, and Air Force helicopters are searching for surviving passengers. "It's hard to find survivors, it's wooded," says Hugo Botero Lopez, Mayor of La Union.
“We are working with local authorities in connection with the emergency situation that occurred with the Chapecoense aircraft,” the airport tweeted.
What do they write in Brazil?
Chapecoense published a short message on their official Facebook page: “Given the conflicting reports coming from various journalistic sources regarding the crash of the plane carrying the Chapecoense team players, we refrain from commenting and await official statements from the Colombian air authorities. May God be with our athletes, leaders, journalists and other members of the delegation.”
Flamengo's official twitter added the Chapecoense logo to their avatar and wrote: "The whole nation is with you."
Are there survivors?
Yes. Protector rushed to La Seja hospital Alan Ruschel rescued from the wreckage of the plane. It is reported that Alan has multiple fractures of bones, hips, lacerations of the head. In the hospital, he asked the doctors to keep his wedding ring, asked about the condition of loved ones. His wife, Amanda Ruschel, wrote on her Instagram: "Thank God Alan is in the hospital in a stable condition."
The second survivor is the Chapecoense goalkeeper Danilo Padilla. It is surprising that before the flight, Rushel posted his photo from the board on Instagram - just with Danilo. The third - Jackson Vollmann. Defender Neto was hospitalized with a severe head injury.
Another survivor already taken to the hospital is a flight attendant Jimena Suarez.
Another 9 Chapecoense players, according to Globo Esporte, did not fly to the match and avoided a plane crash.