Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514

Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514

RA-85684, the aircraft involved
Accident summary
Date	7 September 2010
Summary	In-flight loss of electrical system
Site	Izhma Airport 65°01′54″N 53°58′12″E / 65.03167°N 53.97000°E / 65.03167; 53.97000Coordinates: 65°01′54″N 53°58′12″E / 65.03167°N 53.97000°E / 65.03167; 53.97000
Passengers	72
Crew	9
Fatalities	0
Injuries (non-fatal)	0
Survivors	81 (all)
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154M
Registration	RA-85684
Flight origin	Polyarny Airport, Udachny
Destination	Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow

Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Udachny, Russia, to Moscow. On 7 September 2010, the Tupolev Tu-154M RA-85684 aircraft suffered a complete electrical failure en route, leading to a loss of navigational systems. The electrically operated fuel transfer pumps were also affected, meaning that the aircraft was unable to reach its intended destination. An emergency landing was carried out at the closed Izhma Airport. The aircraft overran the disused runway on landing and was damaged. All nine crew and 72 passengers escaped unharmed. The crew of Flight 514 were decorated for their actions in the accident.

Flight 514 was over Usinsk, at an altitude of 10,600 m (FL 348) when the first signs of a problem were noticed at about 06:59 local time (02:59 UTC). Later, a complete loss of electrical systems occurred, which resulted in the loss of navigational systems and the loss of electric fuel pumps, leaving the aircraft with just 3,300 kilograms (7,300 lb) of usable fuel, enough for just 30 minutes flight. The loss of the electrically driven pumps prevented transfer of fuel from the wing tanks to the engine supply tank in the fuselage. At about 07:47, the emergency authorities at Izhma were informed that the aircraft may be making an emergency landing at the airport there. Izhma Airport is a former airfield that is now used only for helicopters, and the 1,325-metre-long (4,347 ft) runway is closed and abandoned. The airfield, having closed to fixed-wing aircraft in 2003, was not marked on then-current maps.

The passengers were moved to the front of the aircraft. The electrical failure also caused a loss of the radio system, flaps and slats. Two attempts to land were aborted. On the third attempt, a successful emergency landing was made at Izhma at 07:55 local time. The aircraft overran the runway by 160 metres (520 ft), and sustained some damage in the process. The aircraft landed at a speed of 350 to 380 kilometres per hour (190 to 210 kn), faster than normal, due to the lack of flaps. Although the flaps are powered by hydraulics, the switches operating them are electrical. All nine crew and 72 passengers evacuated using the aircraft's evacuation slides. No injuries were reported.

Weather at the time was overcast, with a visibility of 22 kilometres (12 nmi), temperature was 2 °C (36 °F), dewpoint 1 °C (34 °F), humidity 85%, wind from the north-west at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph). The successful emergency landing was hailed as a miracle by Russian aviation experts.