Some plane crashes are more chilling than others, and what happened on March 23, 1994, is one of the most unsettling stories I’ve ever heard.
In one of the most tragic and avoidable accidents in aviation history, a deadly mistake was made when a pilot allowed his children to sit in the cockpit, leading to a disaster that would claim 75 lives.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a fascination with aviation, and naturally, that led me to explore what causes plane crashes.
I think I’ve watched nearly every episode of Air Crash Investigation, the show that uncovers the truth behind infamous aviation disasters. But one episode still sends chills down my spine every time I think about it. It takes you into the cockpit of RIA Flight 593, where the pilots face off with an uncooperative plane, gravity, and, tragically, a child at the controls.
The audio recording from that flight is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
A routine flight – until this happened
A routine flight – until this happened
On March 23, 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593, en route from Moscow to Hong Kong, crashed into the Kuznetsk Alatau Mountain range in southern Russia, killing everyone on board.
The flight had been relatively routine until the moment the captain’s children, Yana, 13, and Eldar, 15, were allowed to sit at the controls, a decision that ultimately sealed their fate.
Captain Yaroslav Kudrinsky, an experienced pilot with over 8,940 flight hours, had invited his children into the cockpit during their first international flight. We have to remember, this was 1994, and post-Soviet Russia was entering a new era, with a fleet of sophisticated Airbus A-310s.
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The country was gearing up for the future, and its pilots were part of an elite group, carefully trained to handle the latest technology in aviation. Back in 1994, it wasn’t uncommon for family members or a few select passengers to visit the cockpit during flights.
Yet, captain Kudrinsky made a fateful mistake, one that was strictly prohibited.
Quickly took a frightening turn
While the plane was on autopilot, Kudrinsky believed it was safe for the children to play around with the controls, not realizing the devastating chain of events that would soon unfold.
At 12:43 a.m., Yana took the seat, pretending to fly the plane.
”Daddy, can I turn this?” Yana asked as she sat at the controls.
”Daddy, raise me up,” she said, seemingly trying to get a better view.
Her father then pointed out stars and city lights, cautioning her not to push any buttons.
The situation then quickly took a frightening turn when Eldar took control of the plane. His father, the captain, thought he was just playing around: ”Turn it! Watch the ground as you turn. Let’s go left. Turn left! Is the plane turning?”
”Great!” Eldar replied.
The son was the first to notice
Unfortunately, as Eldar manipulated the control stick, he inadvertently switched the plane from autopilot to manual mode.
A small warning light flashed, but the crew, unfamiliar with the aircraft’s systems, missed the signal. Eldar was the first to notice something was wrong when he saw the plane begin to bank to the right.
The plane then to lose altitude, and a desperate struggle to regain control began.
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Eldar had been in the pilot’s seat for just four minutes when the plane suddenly tilted into a 45-degree bank, forcing everyone into their seats with intense G-forces. The crew and passengers struggled to move under the immense pressure. Eldar was unable to get out of the seat, while his father, frantic, shouted orders at him and tried to regain control with one hand.
Captain Kudrinsky’s frantic attempts to stabilize the plane were futile. His last words were a panicked plea to his son: “Eldar, get away. Go to the back!”
For a brief moment, the G-forces return to normal, allowing the pilot to sit up again. He and the first officer manage to wrestle control of the plane, but their struggle proves futile as they quickly run out of available airspace.
75 passengers and crew aboard perished
The damage was done and the plane spiraled uncontrollably, stalling before plummeting to the ground at over 160 mph.
When the plane finally crashed, all 75 passengers and crew aboard perished instantly. The A310 crashed with its landing gear retracted, and all passengers were already secured in their seats, anticipating an emergency landing. No distress signals were sent out prior to the crash.
At first, Aeroflot denied any wrongdoing and refuted claims that children were in the cockpit during the accident. However, this was later disproven when the Moscow-based magazine Obozrevatel published a transcript of the cockpit voice recording on September 28, 1994, confirming the presence of the children.
Find a grave
An investigation later revealed that human error, particularly the decision to let the children touch the controls, was the primary cause. Despite regulations prohibiting it, Kudrinsky had allowed his kids to fly the airplane.
The tragedy remains one of the deadliest and most preventable accidents in aviation history, a stark reminder of the consequences of ignoring safety protocols. Rest in peace to all the victims, this didn’t have to happen!
