Aeroflot Flight 19 - Misplaced Pages

1973 airliner hijacking in the Soviet Union

Aeroflot Flight 19
Hijacking
Aircraft similar to the one involved in the hijacking
Date	2 November 1973 (1973-11-02)
Summary	Hijacking
Site	Vnukovo Airport, Moscow, RSFSR, USSR 55°35′41″N 37°16′27″E / 55.5946°N 37.2742°E / 55.5946; 37.2742
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Yakovlev Yak-40
Operator	Aeroflot
Registration	CCCP-87607
Flight origin	Bykovo Airport, Moscow
Destination	Bryansk Airport
Occupants	31
Passengers	28 (incl. hijackers)
Crew	3
Fatalities	2 (hijackers)
Injuries	4 (3 passengers and 1 crew)
Survivors	29 (incl. 2 hijackers)

Aeroflot Flight 19 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bykovo Airport, Moscow, to Bryansk Airport, Bryansk. On 2 November 1973, a Yak-40 aircraft operating the flight was hijacked by 4 people 10 minutes before landing. The aircraft was then diverted to Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, where the hijackers demanded a buyout and provision of a flight to Sweden. The hostages inside the aircraft were subsequently liberated after the authorities stormed the aeroplane. This is one of the first well-known cases of storming a hijacked aircraft on the territory of the USSR.

Aircraft and crew

Aircraft

The aircraft was a Yak-40K constructed by Saratov Aviation Plant in July 1971 and delivered to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It was registered as CCCP-87607 and sent to the Civil Aviation Administration of the Central Districts, tentatively to the Bryansk Aeroflot division.

Crew

Captain Ivan Kashin (36), was one of the first pilots to learn to fly the Yak-40. He graduated the Sasovo Civil Aviation School in 1957. First officer on the flight was Stanislav Talpekin, flight engineer – Nikolai Nikitin.

Description

Departure

The aircraft was operating a routine domestic flight F-19 (Ф-19) from Bykovo Airport, Moscow, to Bryansk Airport. Yak-40 departed Moscow at 10:45 local time with 28 passengers and 3 crew members on board. The estimated flight time to Bryansk on that day was 50 minutes.

Hijacking

Ten minutes prior to landing at Bryansk Airport, four male hijackers (Viktor Romanov, Vladimir Zhalnin, Pyotr Bondarev, and Aleksandr Nikiforov) retrieved guns out of the overhead luggage bins and took passengers as hostages, then attempted to storm the cockpit. The noises from the passenger cabin reached the cockpit. Captain Kashin asked his flight engineer to investigate the situation in the cabin, and after Nikitin realised that there were hijackers on board, he immediately shouted the information to the flight crew and shut the door from the outside. The flight engineer tried to defuse one of the hijackers (Romanov), however, he was injured by Zhalnin. One of the passengers (Vladimir Gaponenko) attempted to defuse Bondarev, but he lost his balance from the aircraft pitching, and as a result got injured.

In the flight deck Kashin sent a distress signal to air traffic control. Meanwhile, the attackers managed to break the lock on the cockpit door and entered the flight deck. Hijackers demanded the flight crew head back to Moscow. Whilst on approach to Vnukovo Airport, the intruders forced the crew to inform the authorities that they demanded payment of US$1.5 million for all hostages and for information about future aircraft hijacker groups. Despite difficult weather conditions in Moscow, the crew managed to successfully land the Yak-40 at Vnukovo.

On the ground

KGB Chairman (and future leader of the USSR) Yuri Andropov and the Minister of Internal Affairs Nikolai Shchelokov soon arrived at the airport and began developing a strategy to free the hostages.

Hijackers let two injured hostages (Nikitin and Gaponenko) out of the plane. Then, the hijackers put forward extra conditions: the authorities must let them refuel the aircraft and give them half of the buyout (or ransom) in return for half of the hostages. The intruders plan was to fly to Leningrad, where they would let the rest of the hostages out and refuel the Yak-40, enough for them to fly to Sweden. Nevertheless, it was decided to not let the captured aeroplane out of Moscow, and instead storm the aircraft. A storming group of volunteer policemen (Mikhail Lyakhmanov, Vladimir Rakov, Aleksandr Mushkarin, Nikolai Kapustin and Aleksandr Popryadukhin) was put together by the authorities. This group secretly sneaked towards the plane and hid under it next to the front landing gear. After several hours of waiting the intruders were informed that the authorities were ready to transfer the money. At first, a suitcase full of fake banknotes was supposed to be carried by a KGB officer, but at the last minute he refused to do it, so a transport police officer carried it instead.

After hijackers heard movements under the Yakovlev Yak-40, they assumed that the buyout was finally delivered. One of the hijackers (Nikiforov) opened the door, then sergeant Rakov pressed a pike pole against the door. Hijacker Zhalnin began shooting at the police officers, who retaliated. As a result, Nikiforov fell onto the airfield, sustaining serious injuries (from which he later died in hospital). At the same time, an armoured personnel carrier approached the aircraft and fired a line from the machine gun aiming at the plane, which suffered around 90 bullet hits. Tear gas was then used; however, the smoke bomb got stuck between the seats, which caused the upholstery to burn. As the smoke flocked the cabin, panic arose amongst the passengers, who started to escape the aircraft. Hijackers Bondarev and Zhalnin escaped the plane together with the passengers, whilst Romanov shot himself. As a result of storming the aircraft two passengers were injured, but none died.

Aftermath

Hijackers fate

The two remaining hijackers were subsequently arrested. Zhalnin, who was 16 years old at the time, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. After being released he soon died. Pyotr Bondarev was declared insane with the help of his parents and was sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he spent 6 months. He died in Moscow in 2006.

Commendation of crew

On 19 December 1973 at a ceremony in Moscow, police officer Aleksandr Popryadukhin and captain Ivan Kashin were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for courage.

Fate of aircraft

The Yak-40 was soon repaired and resumed operations. In 1987 it was transferred to the Ministry of General Machine Building and sent to TsNIIMash. The aircraft is now scrapped.

Safety considerations

After the hijacking of Flight 19, screening of passengers in airports in the Soviet Union was significantly improved and tightened. New departments were created to tackle terrorism in the country.

References

^ "Карточка самолёта: Яковлев · Як-40 · СССР-87607 (зав.н. 9120618)" [Aircraft card: Yakovlev · Yak-40 · USSR-87607 (head no. 9120618)]. russianplanes.net (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-05-09.
Administrator. "2 января исполняется 75 лет со дня рождения Кашина Ивана Андреевича – Героя Советского Союза" [January 2 marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Andreevich Kashin, Hero of the Soviet Union]. www.cdni.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-05-09.
"Кашин Иван Андреевич" [Kashin Ivan Andreevich]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-05-09.
""Как в кино": "Воздушная тюрьма"" ["Like in the movies": "Con Air"]. YouTube (in Russian). NTV. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
"ВВС России – Интервью с пилотом ГА М.А.Кашиным" [Russian Air Force – Interview with Civil Aviation Pilot M.A. Kashin]. www.airforce.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-05-09.

External links

Photograph of the Yak-40 soon after the storming of the aircraft

Aeroflot

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Subsidiaries

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Exited	Aurora Nordavia (now Smartavia)

Fleet

Accidents and
incidents

1940s	G-2 Alma-Ata crash ANT-20bis crash CCCP-Л1450 crash Flight 17
1950s	Il-12 Karaganda crash Il-12 Novosibirsk crash Kemerovo mid-air collision Flight 229 Flight 783 Flight 10 Flight 136 Flight 214 Flight 229 Kiev mid-air collision Flight 11 Flight 10 Flight 105 Flight 04 Flight 365 Flight 164 Il-12 Lazo crash Тu-104 Kanash crash Flight 200 Flight 315
1960s	Flight 315 Flight 207 Flight 036 Flight 068 Flight 245 Flight 902 Flight 415 Flight 03 Flight 213 Flight 191 Flight 25 Flight 012 Flight 366 Flight 663 Flight 721 Flight 101/X-20 Flight 542 Flight 513 Flight 99 Flight 065 Flight 2723 Flight 5003 Flight 2230 Flight L-51 Flight 1668 Flight 15 Flight 831 Flight F-28 Flight N-826
1970s	Flight U-45 Flight 1661 Flight 3630 CCCP-11000 crash CCCP-12996 crash Flight 1969 Flight 1912 Flight 773 Flight N-63 Flight 2174 Flight 1491 Flight 558 Flight 1036 Flight 217 Flight 6263 Flight 141 Flight 630 Flight X-167 Flight 6551 Flight 109 Flight A-13 Flight 3932 Flight 964 Flight 19 Flight 2022 Flight 2420 CCCP-75559 crash Flight 662 Flight E-15 Flight A-53 Flight 2003 Flight 3739 Flight 909 Flight 1802 Flight 418 Flights 7957 and 31 Flight 2415 Flight N-36 Flight 3843 Flight 5003 Flight 331 Flight B-2 Flight 6709 Flight 1080 Flight 6515 Flight 1691 Flights 7628 and 7880 Flight 5484
1980s	Flight 4225 Flight 498 Flight 811 Flight 3603 Flight 8641 Flight 411 Flight 343 Flight 5463 Flight 601 Flight 3352 Flight F-637 Flight 3519 Flight 7841 Zolochiv mid-air collision Flight 5143 Flight 101/435 Flight F-77 Flight 2306 Flight 6502 Flight 892 Flight U-505 Flight N-528 Flight 699 Flight 3739
since 1990s	Flight E-35D CCCP-46472 crash Flight 2808 Flight 593 Flight 521 Flight 821 Flight 1492

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1973 (1973)
Jan 21 Aeroflot Flight 6263Jan 22 Kano Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 crashJan 29 EgyptAir Flight 741Feb 19 Aeroflot Flight 141Feb 21 Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114Feb 24 Aeroflot Flight 630Feb 26 DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet 24 crashFeb 28 Aeroflot Flight X-167Mar 3 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307Mar 5 Nantes mid-air collisionApr 10 Invicta International Airlines Flight 435Apr 23 Aeroflot Flight 2420May 11 Aeroflot Flight 6551May 18 Aeroflot Flight 109May 30 SAM Colombia Flight 601May 31 Indian Airlines Flight 440Jun 3 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crashJun 10 Nepal plane hijackingJun 20 Aeroméxico Flight 229Jul 11 Varig Flight 820Jul 22 Pan Am Flight 816Jul 23 Japan Air Lines Flight 404Jul 23 Ozark Air Lines Flight 809Jul 31 Delta Air Lines Flight 723Aug 13 Aviaco Flight 118Aug 18 Aeroflot Flight A-13Aug 27 Aerocondor Lockheed L-188 Electra crashAug 28 TWA Flight 742Sep 8 World Airways Flight 802Sep 11 JAT Flight 769Sep 27 Texas International Airlines Flight 655Sep 30 Aeroflot Flight 3932Oct 13 Aeroflot Flight 964Nov 2 Aeroflot Flight 19Nov 3 Pan Am Flight 160Nov 3 National Airlines Flight 27Nov 21 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur CrashNov 23 Italian Air Force C-47 Argo 16 crashNov 25 KLM Flight 861Dec 16 Aeroflot Flight 2022Dec 17 Iberia Flight 933Dec 17 Pan Am Fl. 110, Lufthansa Fl. 303 hijackingDec 22 Royal Air Maroc Caravelle crash
1972 ◄ ► 1974

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1973 (1973)

Jan 21 Aeroflot Flight 6263Jan 22 Kano Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 crashJan 29 EgyptAir Flight 741Feb 19 Aeroflot Flight 141Feb 21 Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114Feb 24 Aeroflot Flight 630Feb 26 DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet 24 crashFeb 28 Aeroflot Flight X-167Mar 3 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307Mar 5 Nantes mid-air collisionApr 10 Invicta International Airlines Flight 435Apr 23 Aeroflot Flight 2420May 11 Aeroflot Flight 6551May 18 Aeroflot Flight 109May 30 SAM Colombia Flight 601May 31 Indian Airlines Flight 440Jun 3 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crashJun 10 Nepal plane hijackingJun 20 Aeroméxico Flight 229Jul 11 Varig Flight 820Jul 22 Pan Am Flight 816Jul 23 Japan Air Lines Flight 404Jul 23 Ozark Air Lines Flight 809Jul 31 Delta Air Lines Flight 723Aug 13 Aviaco Flight 118Aug 18 Aeroflot Flight A-13Aug 27 Aerocondor Lockheed L-188 Electra crashAug 28 TWA Flight 742Sep 8 World Airways Flight 802Sep 11 JAT Flight 769Sep 27 Texas International Airlines Flight 655Sep 30 Aeroflot Flight 3932Oct 13 Aeroflot Flight 964Nov 2 Aeroflot Flight 19Nov 3 Pan Am Flight 160Nov 3 National Airlines Flight 27Nov 21 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur CrashNov 23 Italian Air Force C-47 Argo 16 crashNov 25 KLM Flight 861Dec 16 Aeroflot Flight 2022Dec 17 Iberia Flight 933Dec 17 Pan Am Fl. 110, Lufthansa Fl. 303 hijackingDec 22 Royal Air Maroc Caravelle crash

1972 ◄ ► 1974

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union in the 1970s
1970	Batagay Aeroflot An-24 crash (28 January 1970) Aeroflot Flight 145 (29 January 1970) Aeroflot Flight U-45 (February 1970) Aeroflot Flight 1661 (April 1970) Dymshits–Kuznetsov hijacking affair (June 1970) Aeroflot Flight 3630 (September 1970) Aeroflot Flight 244 (October 1970)
1971	Surgut Aeroflot An-12 crash (22 January 1971) Surgut Aeroflot An-12 crash (31 January 1971) Aeroflot Flight 1969 (March 1971) Aeroflot Flight 1912 (July 1971) Malév Flight 110 (September 1971) Aeroflot Flight 773 (October 1971) Aeroflot Flight N-63 (November 1971) Aeroflot Flight 2174 (December 1971)
1972	Aeroflot Flight B-608 (4 May 1972) Svetlogorsk An-24 crash (16 May 1972) Aeroflot Flight 1491 (18 May 1972) Aeroflot Flight 558 (August 1972) Aeroflot Flight 1036 (1 October 1972) Aeroflot Flight 217 (13 October 1972) Japan Air Lines Flight 446 (November 1972)
1973	Aeroflot Flight 6263 (January 1973) Aeroflot Flight 630 (24 February 1973) Aeroflot Flight X-167 (28 February 1973) Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307 (March 1973) Aeroflot Flight 2420 (April 1973) Aeroflot Flight 6551 (11 May 1973) Aeroflot Flight 109 (18 May 1973) Aeroflot Flight A-13 (August 1973) Aeroflot Flight 3932 (September 1973) Aeroflot Flight 964 (October 1973) Aeroflot Flight 19 (November 1973) Aeroflot Flight 2022 (December 1973)
1974	Aeroflot Flight H-75 (January 1974) Leningrad Aeroflot Il-18 crash (April 1974)
1975	Aeroflot Flight E-15 (July 1975) Aeroflot Flight 6274 (November 1975)
1976	Aeroflot Flight 2003 (January 1976) Aeroflot Flight 3739 (February 1976) Aeroflot Flight 909 (March 1976) Aeroflot Flight 1802 (May 1976) Anapa mid-air collision (September 1976) Aeroflot Flight 2415 (November 1976) Aeroflot Flight N-36 (December 1976)
1977	Aeroflot Flight 3843 (January 1977) Aeroflot Flight 5003 (February 1977) Tavda mid-air collision (May 1977) Aeroflot Tu-134 hijacking (10 July 1977) Aeroflot Flight B-2 (20 July 1977)
1978	Korean Air Lines Flight 902 (April 1978) Aeroflot Flight 6709 (19 May 1978) Yegoryevsk Tu-144 crash (23 May 1978) Iranian Chinook shootdown (June 1978) Aeroflot Flight 1080 (7 October 1978) Aeroflot Flight 6515 (23 October 1978)
1979	Aeroflot Flight 1691 (March 1979) Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision (11 August 1979) Aeroflot Flight 5484 (29 August 1979)
1960–1969 ◄ 1970–1979 ► 1980–1991

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