2001 Antonov Design Bureau AN-70 Crash

The 2001 Antonov Design Bureau AN-70 Crash occurred near Omsk airport on January 27 2001 at 5:36 local time. The crash involved the only surviving Antonov An-70 prototype and put the future of the aircraft in doubt.
Accident
The aircraft arrived at Omsk at 0:30 and was refueled with 38 tons of jet fuel. 5 hours after landing the four engine propfan lifted off the runway on it's way to Yakutsk for cold weather testing. Within seconds of becoming airborne first one and then a second engine suffered complete loss of power. The crew successfully made a 180 degree turn to head back to departure airport but crash landed hard in the snow and ice within several hundred yards of the runway. Of the 33 people aboard (11 crew and 22 specialists from Antonov), 4 were injured.
thumb
Aircraft
This one of only two AN-70 transport planes made. Prototype 1 was destroyed in a mid air collision in 1995. The fuselage of prototype 2 was broken in two by the heavy landing during this incident. The aircraft was disassembled on site and relocated to a nearby factory and restored to flying condition. The damaged airframe required months of repair. As of 2012 the only AN-70 in existence is still preforming important flight testing.
Causes
The leading theory as to the cause of this incident is fuel starvation due to water in the fuel system freezing.
Consequences
The crash involved the only surviving Antonov An-70 prototype and put the future of the aircraft in doubt.
 
< Prev   Next >