Aeroflot Flight 34
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (August 2024) |
 A C-47, similar in design to the crashed aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 March 1947 |
| Summary | CFIT |
| Site | Lower Svaneti Range (GSSR, USSR) |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas C-47B |
| Operator | Aeroflot (Georgian Territorial Civil Aviation Directorate) |
| Registration | CCCP-Л952 |
| Flight origin | Tbilisi |
| Destination | Vnukovo, Moscow |
| Occupants | 23 |
| Passengers | 19 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 23 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aeroflot Flight 34 was a scheduled Douglas C-47 Skytrain flight operated by Aeroflot that crashed on March 5, 1947, in the Svaneti Range while en route from Tbilisi to Moscow, killing all 23 people on board.
The Accident
[edit]The C-47 (a variant of the DC-3) of the Georgian Territorial Directorate of Civil Aviation was operating Flight 34 from Tbilisi to Moscow, piloted by a crew consisting of Captain I.N. Nikitin, co-pilot G.I. Suslov, flight engineer A.V. Andryushenko, and radio operator V.I. Shurina. The C-47 took off from Tbilisi Airport at 08:53 with 19 passengers on board.[1]
Before departure, Captain Nikitin was warned that he could only expect to land at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport before 15:25. However, after takeoff, it became apparent that the crew would not have enough time to reach Moscow. The captain decided to fly over the Caucasus Mountains, thereby shortening the route. At 09:53, 1 hour and 3 minutes after takeoff, communication with the aircraft was lost, and the crew did not respond to further calls. Fifteen days later, on March 20, the wreckage of the aircraft was found on the slope of the Lower Svaneti Range. All 23 people on board perished.[1]
Cause
[edit]The cause of the crash was attributed to the indiscipline of the captain, who violated the flight plan and changed the route without authorization.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Катастрофа С-47 Грузинского управления ГВФ в горах Северного Кавказа". airdisaster.ru. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2013-06-10.