July 10, 1985
An Aeroflot Tu-154B-2 plane crashed near Uchkuduk.
The airliner was operating a passenger flight on the route Karshi-Ufa-Leningrad. 46 minutes after takeoff, at an altitude of 11600 meters, the aircraft lost speed, entered a flat spin, and crashed to the ground in the Kyzylkum Desert, 68 km northeast of Uchkuduk. Killed 200 people — 191 passengers and 9 crew members.
This is the largest air disaster in Soviet and Uzbek aviation in terms of casualties.
The airliner departed Karshi at approximately 23.00:4 PM Moscow time. On board, in addition to the crew, were 139 adults and 52 children. The passengers were tired and nervous—the flight was delayed by more than four hours. It is believed that the crew members were also tired, unable to rest before departure.
At takeoff, the outside temperature at the Uzbek airport was +33°C. The aircraft climbed at speeds significantly below the recommended altitude. It reached 11600 meters at approximately 400 km/h, on the verge of triggering the automatic angle-of-attack and G-force warning system (AOAS). After the initial triggering, the system was deactivated. Later, the AOAS stopped triggering on its own due to a power outage.
According to one theory, after reaching 5300 meters and engaging the autopilot, the captain and co-pilot dozed off. Experts believe this could be indicated by the fact that the speed dropped during the climb, but was not adjusted.
A jolt developed in level flight. It was mistaken for surge—that is, an engine malfunction—and the engines were throttled back down twice. Instead of accelerating the aircraft, the captain continued to maintain altitude. The speed dropped to 290 km/h, and 77 seconds after the emergency occurred, the plane entered a flat spin. All engines shut down.
The liner fell for 153 seconds. Upon impact, the aircraft had almost no forward speed. Because the flight recorder was damaged, it was impossible to determine with certainty whether the crew's condition contributed to the tragedy.