Can you guess what this is? It’s an Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Tupolev Tu-154M, reg: RA-85684! She’s landed in a forest!

 

Here she is again, after some of the trees are cleared away:

The plane took off early in the morning from Polyarny Airport in Udachny, Sakha (Yakutia) Republic in Russia on the 7th September 2010 on a domestic flight to Moscow Domodedovo Airport. On route the plane experienced a complete electrical systems failure - resulting in the loss of navigational systems; radio system; flaps and slats (the flaps are powered by hydraulics but the switches operating them are electrical); and the loss of electric fuel pumps. The loss of the electric pumps prevented the transfer of fuel from the wing tanks to the engine supply tank in the fuselage, leaving the aircraft with just enough usable fuel (3,300 kilograms / 7,300 lb) for about 30 minutes of flight.

 

Luckily there was an airport close by where the pilots could attempt an emergency landing – UUYV Izhma (Komi Republic, Russia). However the airport’s only runway was closed during 2003 and it is too short for mid sized jet airliner operations. It was used only by smaller aircraft - An-2, An-24, Yak-40 and L-410 types and is only 1,325 metres (4,347 ft) long. Following the closure and abandonment of the runway the airport has since been used by helicopters. Overall, Izhma Airport now and in 2010 (during this incident) was an unmapped, abandoned military airfield in the Komi republic. But since the Alrosa pilots were short on options, they decided that an emergency landing here was their best alternative. Considering all things it was very lucky that the pilots managed to spot the Izhma military airfield – its not even listed on the latest maps. Also without electrical systems, the pilots had no radio support as they prepared to land.

 

Passengers were moved to the front of the aircraft and 3 attempts to land were carried out with a successful emergency landing on the third. The aircraft landed at a speed of over 350 kilometres per hour (190kn +), substantially faster than normal, due to the lack of flaps. It overran the runway and went through trees, bushes and mud - Finally coming to a stop in a forest with no injuries of any kind among the nine crew and 72 passengers onboard!! Can a Boeing or Airbus do that?

 

 

 

The accident investigation report indicated that the Tu-154M's batteries had overheated, suffering a thermal runaway and this affected the entire electrical system on the aircraft. In other words there was a disruption to the plane's power supply that caused the electrical failure. A complete electrical systems loss, like this, in the Tu-154 is an unusual and very, very rare occurrence. As a matter of fact I don’t think I’ve ever heard of any other incidents like this.

 

The passengers were flown by helicopter to Ukhta Airport, where a replacement aircraft flew them to Moscow. Only 2 of the passengers on the flight reportedly chose to take a train to Moscow - the rest of them flew to Domodedovo on another Tu-154M.The two Alrosa Tu-154 pilots were awarded the ‘Hero of the Russian Federation’ decoration, which is the highest Russian honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen. The rest of the crew were awarded Orders of Courage.

As for the crash-landed plane itself - that was a tricky situation. The Tupolev was damaged at an airport that has a runway not nearly long enough for it to properly take off. Most companies would probably write off the machine, but Alrosa made enough repairs on the aircraft to get it airborne again (it was not heavily damaged – a testament to the strength of the Tu-154) and then, after having its weight reduced as much as possible, on the 23rd March 2011, the Tupolev successfully took off from the short Izhma Airport runway!

 

Here’s a video of the impressive take-off at Izhma:

 

The aircraft then flew to Ukhta for additional inspection and then to Samara where final repairs and inspections were completed before the aircraft returned to service.

 

As this incident was not really widely reported in the mainstream news I felt it would be good to mention it here. A story with a happy end, which demonstrates the remarkable capabilities of the Tu-154 aircraft and its pilots.

Thanks for posting :) quite remarkable!Now, where can i get 1 of these for fsx, with a virtual cockpit? :D

Thanks for posting :) quite remarkable!Now, where can i get 1 of these for fsx, with a virtual cockpit? :D

 

You can't yet.But there is a new beta Tu-154B2 available for FSX from Project Tupolev here:http://files.protu-1...-154b2_fsx.html

I've been hearing good things about it. Hopefully Kirill Konovalov will be making a Tu-154M after he's done with the B2 type.

I'm perfectly happy to continue flying the Tupolevs in FS9 for now:

I would have to re-install FSX again to test out the new Tu-154B2 version. I may do that at some point in the future when more time is available. From what I've seen the new B2 does look very nice!

Thanks momtchil,( another link here to explain install ect http://www.protu-154.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12373 )Question - Why a binary file download?

............Question - Why a binary file download?

What do you mean ' binary file download'? - That it's an .exe file?All the planes downloadable from Project Tupolev come as .exe installers. I guess they did that for ease of use. If you don't want to install directly into your FS, just point them towards a dummy directory (that you've set up, like for example C:\Tupolev_install_files ; etc..) and then manually move the files from there to your FS. Beware though there are a lot files to move around and if any of them are not in the correct place then the plane won't work in your FS.

ahh, an exe...of course. I will indeed direct it to another file as i like to see whats being installed.Thanks.

ahh, an exe...of course. ..............

Wasn't sure what you meant. I'm used to referring to them as 'executables' or 'executable files' or just '.exe files'.I guess binary file is also an accurate description, as in essence all computer files are binary files.Good luck with the installation. Feel free to let us know what you think of the new FSX Tu-154B2, along with some screenshots! You can start a new thread about it. It would be good to get some more opinions on the new Project Tupolev plane.

Well, me being me didnt read the file sizes....and downloaded the 12mb beta2 file and installed it, without installing the 87 mb file first.... lolSo i'll have to have another go when i get home again later.The good news is, if you direct it to a file, it places the files in folders for you. :)Effect in a effects folder, the plane in airplanes folder, so its nice and easy to move about.Might have it up and running in a few hours...time for some beer!

Why would they not just wait for spring to attempt the takeoff on a dry runway rather than take the risk on a short snow covered strip ?Mark.

Why would they not just wait for spring to attempt the takeoff on a dry runway rather than take the risk on a short snow covered strip ?Mark.

 

These are the conditions the Tu-154 was made for. She's in her element there! Taking off from (and landing on) snow covered runways is no problem for a Tupolev!!

Also its Komi, its winter most of the time there, summer is very short (but quite nice). It could have been a long wait for perfect conditions - spring in Komi can be quite harsh as well.

Very interesting read, thank for posting! See? It's this uniqueness that I always liked so much about Russian aircraft. While they often same heavy band clunky and hard to fly, they seem undistructable also (within reason of course). Must say I'm very impressed. I really should learn to fly that Tu-154 in FS finally, been wanting to do it for at leads two years now...

Ok, im impressed with the fsx model..Here are some shots :At the moment it loads cold n dark...and i havnt got a clue what to push or pull.I can seem to get power, but i dont know if its the APU or battery switch im movin(it's all in russian), and control E doesnt do it either, just spools the engines up...guess i need to find the fuel valves.Looking at the files it looks like there is a co-pilot that give you call out's in russian too. :) aswell as other custom sounds.In the 2D panel there are english tool tips if you hover the mouse over so that may help me.The exterior textures take a few seconds to load..no biggie, just they are 4096 resolution textures.For freeware,i give the VC 10/10..All the essential guages are crystal clear.Exterior model 9/10...and i havnt even started the engines yet, or flew it, and its still in beta..Very good indeed.

..............At the moment it loads cold n dark...and i havnt got a clue what to push or pull.I can seem to get power, but i dont know if its the APU or battery switch im movin(it's all in russian), and control E doesnt do it either, just spools the engines up...guess i need to find the fuel valves.Looking at the files it looks like there is a co-pilot that give you call out's in russian too. :) aswell as other custom sounds.

 

The Project Tupolev Tu-154M and Tu-154B2 planes always load cold and dark. The start up procedure is just like the real aircraft. You won't be able to start her up with CTRL + E.

This is not a plane you'll be able to just drop in and fly. Its a very complex and realistic simulation. The PT Tu-154 plane is even certified by the Tupolev Company and used to train real Tu-154 pilots.

 

I don't know if they included a manual with the FSX Tu-154B2, as its still a beta. If it doesn't yet have one, you can use the English manuals from the FS9 Tu-154M and B2. Without reading the manuals you won't be able to do anything with the plane. With the English manuals though there is nothing stopping you from flying this great aircraft. Out of all the other add-ons (including payware) this is my favorite plane to fly in!!

 

In the 2D panel there are english tool tips if you hover the mouse over so that may help me.The exterior textures take a few seconds to load..no biggie, just they are 4096 resolution textures.For freeware,i give the VC 10/10..All the essential guages are crystal clear.Exterior model 9/10...and i havnt even started the engines yet, or flew it, and its still in beta..Very good indeed.

 

Thanks for the screenshots. She's looking very good in FSX! The VC is impressive.

My greatest wish is that someone would convert one for English speakers. I managed to start one following the superb pictured instructions on the Project Tupolev forum and just love the sounds of this aircraft built without 'noise restriction' requirements.The nearest I can get to this is also flying 'Addictive Simulations' VC-10 with it's very loud Conway engines.

There is a manual with the beta version, in english.I am strugling a little, and i dont have a great deal of spare time at the moment but when i do ill hitting it hard...theres just something about this plane :)What i find makes it hard it the russian language on the panels...obviosly not speaking russian..but the manual does explain pretty well..example :[Picture with all swithes numbered]5.3.1. Start of APU (ВСУ)Open the flight engineer Panel. At first we need battery power or external power. Makesure all electrical consumers are switched off.- set the switch (8) to the up position to switch on the batteries. Observe the batterydischarge light (9) ВНИМАНИЕ! СЕТЬ ОТ АККУМ light up. With switch (10) inposition AKK N1 you can observe 28 V on the Voltage indicator.If external power is available, we preserve the life of our batteries and set the switchВСУ-ВЫКЛ-РАП (15) to the lower position.The APU (ВСУ) Start is done on the ЗАПУСК ВСУ Panel at the lower left.- set the starting switch ЗАПУСК (1) to the upper (starting) position.- set the switch ЗАПУСК/ХОЛ.ПРОКР (2) to the upper position.- open the cover of the shutoff valve switch (3), switch to the up position and close thecover.- Make sure, the following indicators on the warning panel light up : ЗАБОРНИКОТКРЫТ (APU door opened), ГОТОВ К ЗАПУСКУ (“ready to start”) and РТОПЛИВА (fuel pressure).- The indicator ТСА-6А НЕИСПР shall NOT light up at this stage.- Now start the APU using the «ПУСК» button (5).After that connect bleed air to the cabin ventilation and engine start systems by clickingand holding (approx. 8 seconds) the «отбор воздуха» air bleed switch (4) in the upperposition until the signal light ГОТОВ К ЗАПУСКУ goes out. Although memorising those funny looking words will be a task!