Aeroflot Flight 3603

Aeroflot Flight 3603

File:Tupolev Tu-154M, Aeroflot JP5848585.jpg An Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154 similar to the aircraft crash
Accident summary
Date	17 November 1981 (1981-11-17)
Summary	CFIT, crew error
Site	Noril'sk, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
Passengers	160
Crew	7
Fatalities	99
Survivors	68
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154
Operator	Aeroflot
Registration	CCCP-85480
Flight origin	Krasnoyarsk Airport
Destination	Noril'sk Airport

Aeroflot Flight 3603 was a Tupolev Tu-154 operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Krasnoyarsk to Noril'sk, both in the Soviet Union, that crashed while attempting to land on 17 November 1981. Of the 167 passengers and crew on board, 99 were killed in the accident.

Accident

It was dark and there was a low overcast with a cloud base of around 400 feet when the Tupolev Tu-154 began its approach to Noril'sk Airport. The aircraft was about 5,000 pounds above its calculated weight and its center of gravity was beyond the forward limit for the type. The nose heavy condition caused Flight 3603 to descend through the glide path as it made its final approach. Flight 3603's captain initiated a go-around maneuver but the jetliner struck a mound approximately 1,500 feet short of the runway. Four crew members plus 95 passengers were killed in the accident.