1978 Yegoryevsk Tu-144 crash
CCCP-77110, sister aircraft to the Tu-144 involved in the crash | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 May 1978 |
| Summary | Crash landing following in-flight fire due to fuel leak |
| Site | Near Yegoryevsk, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now in Russia) 55°23′41″N 38°51′38″E / 55.39472°N 38.86056°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-144D |
| Operator | Aeroflot |
| Registration | CCCP-77111 |
| Flight origin | Ramenskoye Airport |
| Destination | Ramenskoye Airport |
| Occupants | 8 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 6 |
During a test flight of a Tupolev Tu-144 on 23 May 1978, the aircraft suffered a fuel leak, which led to an in-flight fire in the right wing, forcing the shutdown of two of the aircraft's four engines. One of the two remaining engines subsequently failed, forcing the crew to make a belly landing in a field near Yegoryevsk, Moscow Oblast. Two flight engineers were killed in the ensuing crash, but the remaining six crew members survived. The accident prompted a ban on passenger flights of the Tu-144, which had already been beset by numerous problems, leading to a lack of interest that ultimately resulted in the Tu-144 program's cancellation.