Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9045


Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9045 was a cargo flight that crashed on approach to Nalchik while carrying 12,515 kg of coins from the Saint Petersburg Mint.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the accident was an Antonov An-12BP with four Ivchenko AI-20M engines, registered RA-11118 to Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise.

Crew

Seven crew members and six passengers were aboard the flight. The cockpit crew consisted of:
Flight 9045 carried 12,515 kg of coins in cargo from St. Petersburg to the stopover in Volograd. Until landing there were no issues during the flight to Nalchik. The air traffic controller informed the flight crew of the weather conditions at the airport, but failed to mention the issue of ice; hence the crew did not activate the de-icing system for the approach.
When the flight was 13 kilometers away from the runway, the crew set the flaps at 15°. At 8 kilometers from the runway, the aircraft entered the glide path, after which the flaps were set to 35°. 16 seconds later, the crew increased the engine power to maintain a consistent speed of 260 km/h. The flight was already 40 meters above the glide path and the pilots adjusted the elevators from 1 to 5° deflection, only for the elevators to spontaneously go to 15° deflection.
At an altitude of 320 meters the aircraft pitched nose-down 50-55° into a rapid descent; the pilots pulled back on the control columns; but due being at a low altitude the aircraft was unable to recover from the dive, the aircraft crashed into a field and was quickly engulfed in flames.

Cause

The investigation concluded that causes of the accident were as follows: