The Il-12 Water Landing in Kazan was an aviation accident that took place on April 30, 1953, on the Volga River near the Kazan River Port. An Aeroflot Il-12P aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the water after colliding with a flock of birds. This event is often called the first emergency water landing in the history of Soviet civil aviation.[1]

Sequence of events

The aircraft was operating Flight 35 on the route Moscow — Kazan — Novosibirsk. On board were 18 passengers and 5 crew members.[1] At 21:37, as the aircraft descended for landing at Kazan and was passing over the Volga, a violent impact occurred: both engines suddenly lost power, and flames appeared from the exhaust pipes. According to crew members, their vision went dark from the impact.[1] The captain decided to make an immediate water landing. The aircraft touched down on the water near the Kazan River Port, after which river water began pouring rapidly into the cabin.[1]

Evacuation and the death of a passenger

During the landing, cargo in the front of the cabin shifted and blocked the door to the cockpit; the passengers managed to free it. The evacuation was complicated by an erroneous announcement from the crew: people were told that the aircraft had landed in shallow water, and many began collecting their belongings and putting on outer clothing. In reality, the river at that spot was about 20 meters deep. Once in the water in soaked clothing, the passengers began to drown. Local residents who arrived in boats managed to save everyone except one person, who drowned because of a waterlogged coat.[1]

Causes and investigation

The investigation commission determined that the cause of the accident was a collision between the aircraft and a flock of ducks as it flew over the Volga.[1] The case became one of the most illustrative aviation incidents involving bird strikes and is mentioned in publications on the problem of bird hazard safety in aviation.[1]

The Nizhny Novgorod angle

The accident took place directly on the Volga — the river connecting Kazan with Nizhny Novgorod. The route of Flight 35, Moscow — Kazan — Novosibirsk, ran through the Volga Region, and the aircraft was descending precisely over the Volga reach near Kazan. The aircraft type itself, the Il-12P, was mass-produced until 1949 and was widely operated by Aeroflot on Volga Region routes in the early 1950s.[2]

Sources

  1. aif.ru — Feathered Danger. 5 Cases of Birds Colliding with Aircraft — Argumenty i Fakty
  2. expresssmart.ru — Il-12
  3. yandex.ru — Yandex — video search
  4. obovsem.cc — 9 Astonishing Stories of Passengers Surviving Plane Crashes
  5. loveopium.ru — Amazing Stories of Survival in Plane Crashes
  6. telegra.ph — Il-12