Aerosvit Flight 241
Aerosvit Flight 241 (VV241/EW241) was a scheduled international passenger flight from the Ukrainian city of Odesa to Thessaloniki, Greece. On 17 December 1997, the Yakovlev Yak-42 operating the flight registered as UR-42334 flew into a mountainside during a missed approach into Thessaloniki in Greece. All 70 people aboard were killed.
UR-42334 in service with Tiger Air in 1997 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 17 December 1997 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error, cockpit confusion |
| Site | Pierian Mountains, near Thessaloniki Airport, Thessaloniki, Greece 40°13′33″N 22°15′03″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Yakovlev Yak-42 |
| Operator | Aerosvit – Ukrainian Airlines |
| ICAO flight No. | AEW241 |
| Call sign | AEW 241 |
| Registration | UR-42334 |
| Flight origin | Odesa International Airport, Odesa, Ukraine |
| Destination | Thessaloniki Airport, Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Occupants | 70 |
| Passengers | 62 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 70 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Investigation by the Greek Aircraft Accidents Inquiry Council concluded that the crash was caused by the flight crew's navigational error. The crew were disoriented and lost during the aircraft's second approach to Thessaloniki. Despite numerous cues, the confused crew refused to declare emergency over the situation and decided to re-orient themselves. The crew failed to follow the route that they were supposed to take and the aircraft ultimately crashed onto the mountains.
In light of the investigation, both the Ukrainian and Hellenic authorities were urged to create a compulsory CFIT training for all pilots in both countries. The Ukrainian State Department of Aviation Transport was urged to include compulsory cockpit resource management (CRM) training to all flight crews and the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority was asked to provide radar facility for Thessaloniki Airport.