70 people died in the fall of the Tu-134 in Samara on October 20, 1986

On October 20, 1986, Kurumoch Airport became the site of one of the most tragic plane crashes in the history of Soviet aviation.

Passenger liner Tu-134, carrying out a flight from Sverdlovsk to Grozny, crashed when approaching for landing, taking the lives of seventy people. Among the dead were sixty-six passengers and four crew members.

The investigation found that the fatal factor was a ridiculous domestic dispute between commander Alexander Klyuev and the crew about the dinner.

In protest, the pilot closed the window curtains and tried to land the plane blindly, relying solely on instruments. The warning system for a dangerous approach to the ground worked at an altitude of 65 meters, but the commander ignored the signal.

The liner hit the runway with a 4.8g overload, instantly flipped over and engulfed in flames.

Second pilot Evgeny Zhirnov at the cost of his own life tried to evacuate people from the burning cabin, but later died of smoke poisoning. Of the fourteen children on board, only one boy survived.

The court found Alexander Klyuyev guilty and sentenced him to fifteen years in prison, although he was released after six years.

This tragedy radically changed industry standards, obliging airlines to seal curtains in cabins and use non-combustible materials in cabins.

The second pilots were also officially allowed to use physical force to prevent the commander’s catastrophic mistakes, Samarskaya Gazeta reported.