Aeroflot Flight 593
Aeroflot Flight 593 was a passenger flight from Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia, to Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong. On 23 March 1994, the aircraft operating the route, an Airbus A310-304 flown by Aeroflot, crashed into the Kuznetsk Alatau mountain range in Kemerovo Oblast, killing all 63 passengers and 12 crew members on board.
F-OGQS, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1993 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 March 1994 |
| Summary | Stall due to pilot error following autopilot being turned off by minor |
| Site | 20 km (12 mi) E of Mezhdurechensk, Russia 53°18′03″N 88°08′59″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A310-304 |
| Aircraft name | Glinka |
| Operator | Aeroflot – Russian International Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | SU593 |
| ICAO flight No. | AFL593 |
| Call sign | AEROFLOT 593 |
| Registration | F-OGQS |
| Flight origin | Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia |
| Destination | Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong |
| Occupants | 75 |
| Passengers | 63 |
| Crew | 12 |
| Fatalities | 75 |
| Survivors | 0 |
No evidence of a technical malfunction was found. Cockpit voice and flight data recorders revealed the presence of the relief captain's 13-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son in the cockpit. While seated at the controls, the pilot's son had unknowingly partially disengaged the A310's autopilot control of the aircraft's ailerons. The autopilot then disengaged completely, causing the aircraft to roll into a steep bank and a near-vertical dive. Despite managing to level the aircraft, the first officer over-corrected when pulling up, causing the plane to stall and enter into a spin; the pilots managed to level the aircraft off once more, but the plane had descended beyond a safe altitude to initiate a recovery and subsequently crashed into the mountain range. All 75 occupants died on impact.