Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash near Kolomna: What is known?

The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) has completed an investigation into the circumstances of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash that occurred on July 12, 2024 near Kolomna in the Moscow region. As a result of this tragedy, three crew members died. The IAC determined that in the sixth minute of the flight an overspeed occurred, after which the plane began an uncontrolled dive. Let's look into the causes and consequences of this disaster.

Circumstances of the flight and disaster

The crash occurred during a test flight after scheduled repairs. The plane spent about seven minutes in the air before crashing. The last time the crew made contact was four minutes after departure. On board were commander Evgeny Bulavko, co-pilot Maxim Lukmanov and steward Vladislav Kharlamov - all three died.

According to IAC, in the sixth minute of the flight the plane reached a speed of 320 knots, and the Overspeed sound alarm sounded, warning that the permissible speed was exceeded. At this moment, the plane began to descend with an increasing pitch angle into a dive. The crew tried to pull the plane out of the dive using the control stick, but this was unsuccessful.

Maintenance errors: a key factor in disaster

The IAC investigation revealed that the cause of the disaster may have been improper maintenance. In particular, it is assumed that the repairmen incorrectly installed two of the four angle of attack sensors. Angle of attack sensors play an important role in automatic flight control systems, providing accurate data about the aircraft's position relative to airflow.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 developer company issued an information letter about the repair of the SSJ 100 three days after the tragedy. The letter pointed out possible errors when installing angle of attack sensors. If the sensors were installed incorrectly, the aircraft control system could receive erroneous data, which led to incorrect automatic actions and, as a consequence, to a disaster.

Maintenance quality control

One of the important issues raised in connection with the disaster is quality control of aircraft maintenance. Errors in installing angle of attack sensors could have been detected at the control stage, but this did not happen. This case raises the need to review and tighten quality control procedures at all stages of aircraft maintenance and repair.

Questions about the automatic control system

Another aspect that requires careful analysis is the operation of the automatic flight control system. In the event of a sensor error, the system could begin to direct the plane towards the ground, despite the crew's attempts to correct the flight path. It is important to understand why the system did not respond to manual control (side sticks) and what measures can be taken to avoid similar situations in the future.