IL-76 down near Moscow
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I frequently wonder about maintenance levels on Russian aircraft like the TU154. The state of the tyres for example leaves much to be desired - worn down to the threads and with great chunks of rubber missing in my experience. On the other hand, has anyone ever had a tech TU154 in this country? 
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An IL 76 cargo jumbo jet crashed near the Chkalovsky airfield in the Moscow environs within an instant after takeoff, July 14, as its right wing caught on huge pines in a climb, says an investigation team preliminary conclusion.
The investigation revealed blatant misdoings by Rus Airlines, plane proprietor. The wrong men were appointed on the crew--and misinstructed before the flight, into the bargain. To make the matter still worse, flight papers were forged to conceal a bad overload which doomed the aircraft on its fatally bungled climb, says Alexander Neradko, federal First Deputy Transport Minister and State Civil Aviation Service chief.
The investigation revealed blatant misdoings by Rus Airlines, plane proprietor. The wrong men were appointed on the crew--and misinstructed before the flight, into the bargain. To make the matter still worse, flight papers were forged to conceal a bad overload which doomed the aircraft on its fatally bungled climb, says Alexander Neradko, federal First Deputy Transport Minister and State Civil Aviation Service chief.
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Years of flying and part-owning a Yak 52 have given me an insight into Russian aeroplanes. Before this experience, and having seen Russian cars and cameras, I thought they'd be crude. They do tend to be called 'agricultural' - but nothing could be further from the truth.
They are superbly engineered without regard to cost in a way that no western manufacturer could contemplate. They are very strong and absolutely superb to fly. The 9 cylinder Vendeneyev radial engine in ours has recently been replaced because it is 'time expired'. Under CAA rules they cannot be zero timed (and new ones are quite cheap anyway), so one of the guys took it home and stripped it down. He could detect no wear at all - the machining marks were still clearly visible on the pistons and cylinder bores. And this engine had spent most of its life at full power (100 percent power, 82 percent RPM) doing aeros!
I appreciate that the situation there these days may result in poor maintenance and a shortage of parts for ex-Russian airliners, but the basic quality and engineering of the aeroplanes should not be underestimated.
Not for nothing do the USA use 20 year old ex-Russian rocket engines to launch most of their non-Shuttle space vehicles.
SSD
They are superbly engineered without regard to cost in a way that no western manufacturer could contemplate. They are very strong and absolutely superb to fly. The 9 cylinder Vendeneyev radial engine in ours has recently been replaced because it is 'time expired'. Under CAA rules they cannot be zero timed (and new ones are quite cheap anyway), so one of the guys took it home and stripped it down. He could detect no wear at all - the machining marks were still clearly visible on the pistons and cylinder bores. And this engine had spent most of its life at full power (100 percent power, 82 percent RPM) doing aeros!
I appreciate that the situation there these days may result in poor maintenance and a shortage of parts for ex-Russian airliners, but the basic quality and engineering of the aeroplanes should not be underestimated.
Not for nothing do the USA use 20 year old ex-Russian rocket engines to launch most of their non-Shuttle space vehicles.
SSD
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Absolutely, RATBOY.
And from a website whose address I now can't find (honestly):
Overloading and a lack of coordination among pilots caused the July 14 crash of a Russian cargo plane that killed all 10 people aboard, aviation officials announced yesterday (Monday).
The head of the state civil aviation authority, Deputy Transport Minister Alexander Neradko, announced the results of the crash probe at a meeting with aviation officials from around the country, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
The four-engine Il-76 transport plane crashed into a forest shortly after taking off from a military air base near Moscow.
The plane belonged to the Rus commercial aviation company and was being flown by a civilian crew, carrying a 40-tonne cargo of building materials and cosmetics, Russian media reported.
Several Russian plane crashes in recent years have been blamed on overloading of cargo and passengers.
And from a website whose address I now can't find (honestly):
Overloading and a lack of coordination among pilots caused the July 14 crash of a Russian cargo plane that killed all 10 people aboard, aviation officials announced yesterday (Monday).
The head of the state civil aviation authority, Deputy Transport Minister Alexander Neradko, announced the results of the crash probe at a meeting with aviation officials from around the country, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
The four-engine Il-76 transport plane crashed into a forest shortly after taking off from a military air base near Moscow.
The plane belonged to the Rus commercial aviation company and was being flown by a civilian crew, carrying a 40-tonne cargo of building materials and cosmetics, Russian media reported.
Several Russian plane crashes in recent years have been blamed on overloading of cargo and passengers.
