The Aeroflot Story: From Russia With Luck by Jones Mark

Author:Jones, Mark [Jones, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chronik Europa
Published: 2018-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

One aircraft that did become an essential component in the fleet in 1972 was the sleek Tupolev Tu-154, designed for medium and long-range routes and was similar in design to the Boeing 727 and the Trident. But, less than a year into service, a Tu-154 crashed in a ball of flames at Prague Airport, killing 66 of the 100 people onboard.

This came as Aeroflot was already reeling from the loss of an Ilyushin Il-62 the previous year which had crashed on approach to Sheremetyevo, killing all 164 passengers and crew of 10 - the world's worst aviation disaster at the time.

Investigators concluded the most probable cause was the ‘psycho-physiological incapacitation of the crew for reasons unknown. 25 seconds before impact, the pilots either have been incapacitated or lost control of the plane.’

According to the Aviation Safety Network , during 1973 alone, Aeroflot was involved in a staggering 27 incidents, in which over 750 people were killed.

The following year was little better, with a tally of 21 crashes, whilst in 1975 the figure dropped to 19. 'When a domestic flight goes down,' the New York Times reported, 'families of the victims are given U$450 and an urn of the victim's ashes. They are reported also to be discouraged from discussing the crash.'

Inadequate training of flight crews and lax checking of equipment was cited as the main factors for the incidents.

At a meeting in 1974 between President Gerald Ford and General Secretary Brezhnev, the issue of developing commercial ties between their two countries topped the agenda.

The communiqué at the end of their session showed signs of warming relations, as Ford gave approval for the licensing of computers for the Aeroflot reservation system, in addition to approving the export of equipment for Soviet Air Traffic Control stations.

By 1976, Aeroflot had carried its 100 millionth passenger, but the bulk of its flights remained mainly concentrated around the Soviet Union, where an astonishing 33 accidents were recorded that year, casting doubts on how much effort was being given to air safety.

The international network continued to expand - covering five continents: North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia and in 1980 the airline designated itself as the ‘official carrier’ of Russian participants in the ХХII Olympic Games – which the United States boycotted as a protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

However, stories of sloppiness and traveller dissatisfaction began to creep into the international headlines. Just prior to the Olympics, a group of 41 angry passengers decided that their trip ‘was a jumbo sized aero-flop’. So they staged a sit-down protest when it touched down at Heathrow:

They saw red when Aeroflot officials tried to talk them off the aircraft and only agreed to leave when they were promised hotel beds for the night. The Russian airline Aeroflot also provided new tickets to take them to the Far East. According to an airport source, the passengers on flight SU241 from Heathrow became annoyed when they landed at Moscow and discovered that their connecting flight to the Far East had already taken off.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.