Russia’s IAC reports 56 accidents, 27 crashes in 2015

Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) has reported that airlines in member states had 56 accidents, including 27 crashes, which killed 116 people in 2015, according to IAC’s Safety Performance Report.

The statistics include general aviation, helicopter performance and technical flights. IAC defines an accident as an event where an aircraft was damaged without fatalities, while a crash is defined as an accident resulting in fatalities.

The report does not include the Metrojet Airbus A321 crash over Sinai, as Russia stated that an explosive device was responsible for the downing of the aircraft on Oct. 31, 2015.

Three accidents were the result of an aircraft’s takeoff weight exceeding 10 tonnes:

On Jan. 3, 2015, a KAPO Avia Antonov 26 on a technical flight ran off the runway during takeoff from Sokol Airport in Magadan. The pilots and second crew were not hurt.

On Nov. 22, a Boeing 737 of Kyrgyz Avia Traffic Co. overshot the runway while landing at Osh Airport in Kyrgyzstan. Ten out of 160 people on board were hurt.

On Nov. 4, an Antonov An 12, operated by Tadjikistan-based Asia Airways, crashed after taking off in Juba, South Sudan, killing 35 out of 37 people on board. The investigation has not yet been completed.

In the report, IAC pointed out the common problems of civil aviation of country members, such as insufficient pilot training, absence of distinct criteria for pilot-instructors, and insufficient knowledge of the English language.

IAC includes 11 member states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.