Aeroflot Flight CCCP-65856

Infobox Aircraft accident
name = Aeroflot Flight CCCP-65856 disaster
Date = 3 May 1985
Type = Mid-air collision involving ATC errors
Site = near Zolochev, Ukraine
total_fatalities = 94
total_survivors = 0
plane1_type = Tupolev Tu-134
plane1_operator = Aeroflot
plane1_tailnum = CCCP-65856
plane1_origin = Tallinn Airport, Estonia
plane1_stopover = Lviv, Ukraine
plane1_destination = Chişinău, Moldova
plane1_passengers = 73
plane1_crew = 6
plane1_survivors = 0
plane2_type = Antonov An-26
plane2_operator = Soviet Air Force
plane2_tailnum = 101 red
plane2_passengers = 9
plane2_crew = 6
plane2_survivors = 0

Aeroflot Flight CCCP-65856 was the designation of the scheduled flight of a two-engined Tupolev Tu-134 which departed Tallinn Airport in Estonia, at 10:38 am on 3 May 1985, for Chişinău in Moldova, making a stopover at Lviv, Ukraine. While descending to Lviv in overcast weather, it collided at 12:13 with a Soviet Air Force Antonov An-26 (callsign CCCP-26492) which had just taken off from Lviv. The collision occurred at an altitude of 13,000 feet (FL130). Both aircraft lost their right wings and tails, went out of control and crashed about one or two minutes later near the village of Zolochev, Ukraine. There were no survivors.

Civil and military air traffic controllers mislocated both aircraft involved, leading to violations of air traffic control rules. An air controller found guilty of causing the disaster was found dead two weeks after his arrest.Fact|date=March 2008

Among the victims of the disaster were the young Estonian table-tennis player Alari Lindmäe (born 15 september 1967) and two generals of the Soviet Army. The captain of the Aeroflot aircraft, Nikolai Dmitrijev (born 18 October 1931), was a Hero of Socialist Labor and one of the Soviet Union's most decorated civil airline pilots.

External links

* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19850503-0| Aviation Safety Network]
* [http://www.sloleht.ee/index.aspx?id=103086&d=20010227&a=1| TU! Sa lendad liiga madalalt!”]