All 75 occupants died after a pilot's child accidentally disengaged the autopilot, exposing dangers of unauthorized cockpit access.
Key Facts
- Date of crash
- 23 March 1994
- Total fatalities
- 75 (63 passengers, 12 crew)
- Aircraft type
- Airbus A310-304
- Route
- Moscow (Sheremetyevo) to Hong Kong (Kai Tak)
- Crash location
- Kuznetsk Alatau mountains, Kemerovo Oblast
- Cause
- Child at controls partially disengaged autopilot ailerons
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The relief captain allowed his teenaged children into the cockpit during the flight. While seated at the controls, his 15-year-old son unknowingly partially disengaged the A310's autopilot control of the ailerons, leading to full autopilot disengagement and a steep, near-vertical bank.
On 23 March 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593 rolled into a steep dive over Kemerovo Oblast, Russia. Although pilots initially levelled the aircraft, the first officer over-corrected during pull-up, causing a stall and spin. The crew could not recover altitude in time, and the Airbus A310 struck the Kuznetsk Alatau mountain range.
All 75 people aboard were killed on impact. The accident prompted aviation authorities worldwide to reinforce and strictly enforce regulations prohibiting unauthorized persons, including crew family members, from being present in or manipulating controls in the cockpit during flight.