Tupolev Tu-154

Tu-154
Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154M
Role Airliner
National origin USSR
Manufacturer Tupolev
First flight 4 October 1968
Introduced 9 February 1972
Status In service
Primary users UTair
KMV

Iran Air Tours

Produced 1968 – 2010 [1]
Number built 1015
Unit cost 45 Million USD 2008
Variants Tupolev Tu-155

The Tupolev Tu-154 (Russian: Туполев Ту-154) (NATO reporting name: Careless) is a Soviet medium-range trijet airliner designed in the mid 1960s. The Tu-154 has been the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, servicing well over a sixth of the world's landmass and carrying about half of the passengers flown by Aeroflot and all its subsidiaries over that period (137.5 million per year or 243.8 billion passenger kilometers in 1990). The aircraft has been exported and operated by about 17 non-Russian airlines, as well as a number of non-Russian air forces. It remained the standard airliner for domestic routes across Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union until mid 2000s.

With a cruising speed of 975 km/h, the Tu-154 is one of the fastest civilian aircraft in operation and has a range of 5280 kilometers. Capable of departing and arriving on unpaved and gravel airfields, it often operates in the extreme Arctic conditions of Russia's northern territories where airports can be very basic. With a service life of 45,000 hours (18,000 cycles), but capable of 80,000 hours with upgrades, the aircraft is expected to continue in operation until 2016, although noise restrictions have seen services to western Europe and other areas restricted in recent years.

In January 2010, Russian National Carrier Aeroflot announced the retirement of its Tu-154 fleet after almost 40 years of service (pre-production deliveries began in 1970), with the last flight operated by Aeroflot Flight 736 from Ekaterinburg to Moscow on 31 December 2009.[2][3]

Since 1968 there have been about 37 fatal accidents involving the Tu-154 (including a Polish presidential aircraft), most of which were caused by factors unrelated to the aircraft itself. This number is not considered unusual given the number of planes built, years in service, technical specification, and their heavy use in demanding conditions. [4]

Contents

Development

The Tu-154 was developed to meet Aeroflot's requirement to replace the jet-powered Tu-104 and the Antonov An-10 'Ukraine' and the Ilyushin Il-18 turboprops. The requirements called for either a payload capacity of 16–18 tons (35,270–39,680 lb) with a range of 2,850–4,000 km (1,770–2,480 mi) while cruising at a speed of 900 km/h (559 mph), or a payload of 5.8 tons (12,790 lb) with a range of 5,800–7,000 km (3,600–4,350 mi) while cruising at 850 km/h (528 mph). A take-off distance of 2,600 m (8,530 ft) at maximum take-off weight was also stipulated as a requirement. Conceptually similar to the British Hawker Siddeley Trident, which first flew in 1962, and the Boeing 727, which first flew in 1963, the medium-range Tu-154 would be marketed by Tupolev at the same time as Ilyushin was marketing the long-range Ilyushin Il-62. The Soviet Ministry of Aircraft Industry chose the Tu-154 as it incorporated the latest in Soviet aircraft design and best met Aeroflot's anticipated requirements for the 1970s and 1980s.[5]

The first project chief was Sergey Yeger but in 1964, Dimitriy S. Markov assumed that position. 11 years later in 1975 he turned it over to Aleksandr S. Shengardt.[6]

The Tu-154 first flew on 4 October 1968. Commercial service began in February 1972, and there is still limited production of the 154M model as of January 2009, (photo link) despite previous announcements of the end of production in 2006.[7] 1015 Tu-154s have been built, 214 of which are still in service as of 14 December 2009.[8]

Design

Tu-154M of Rossiya
Tu-154M on departure at Domodedovo airport

The Tu-154 is powered by three rear-mounted low-bypass turbofan engines arranged similarly to those of the Boeing 727, and is slightly larger than its American counterpart. Both the 727 and the Tu-154 use an S-duct for the middle (Number 2) engine. The original model had Kuznetsov NK-8-2, while the Tu-154M has Soloviev D-30KU-154 engines. All Tu-154 aircraft models have a higher thrust-to-weight ratio than that of the 727 – this gives them superior performance, although at the expense of poorer fuel efficiency, which became an important factor in later decades as fuel costs grew.

The cabin of the Tu-154, although of the same six-abreast seating layout, gives the impression of an oval interior, with a lower ceiling than is common on Boeing and Airbus airliners. The passenger doors are also smaller than on its Boeing and Airbus counterparts. Furthermore, luggage space in the overhead compartments is very limited.

Like the Tupolev Tu-134, the Tu-154 has a wing swept back at 35 degrees at the quarter-chord line. The British Hawker Siddeley Trident has the same sweepback angle, while the Boeing 727 has a slightly smaller sweepback angle of 32 degrees.

The wing also has Anhedral (downward sweep) which is distinguishing feature of Russian low-wing airliners designed during this era. Most Western low-wing airliners such as the contemporary Boeing 727 have Dihedral (upward sweep).

Like many other Soviet-built airliners, the Tu-154 has an oversized landing gear enabling it to land on unpaved runways, once common in rural areas of the Soviet Union. The aircraft has two six-wheel main bogies fitted with large low-pressure tires that retract into pods extending from the trailing edges of the wings (a common Tupolev feature), plus a two-wheel nose gear unit. Soft oleo struts (shock absorbers) provide a much smoother ride on bumpy airfields than most airliners, which only very rarely operate on such poor surfaces.

The passenger cabin accommodates 128 passengers in two-class layout and 164 passengers in single-class layout, and up to 180 passengers in high-density layout. The layout can be modified to what is called a winterized version where some seats are taken out and a wardrobe is installed for passenger coats.

The original requirement was to have a 3 man flight crew – Captain, First Officer and Flight Engineer – as opposed to 4 or 5 man crew on other Soviet airliners. A fourth crew member, a navigator, is usually also present in the former Soviet Union, due to union rules. Navigators are no longer trained and this profession will become obsolete with the retirement of older Soviet planes.

The plane's avionics suite, for the first time in the Soviet Union, is built to American airworthiness standards. The latest variant (Tu-154M-100, introduced 1998) includes an NVU-B3 Doppler navigation system, a triple autopilot, which provides an automatic ILS approach according to ICAO category II weather minima, an autothrottle, a Doppler drift and speed measure system (DISS), "Kurs-MP" radio navigation suite and others. Modern upgrades normally include a TCAS, GPS and other modern systems, mostly American or EU-made.

Early versions of the Tu-154 cannot be modified to meet the current Stage III noise regulations and are banned from flying where those regulations are in force, such as Europe. The Tu-154M may use hush kits to meet Stage III and theoretically Stage IV. However current European Union regulations forbid the use of hush kits to meet Stage IV. The Tu-154M would need to be re-engined to meet Stage IV within the EU, an extensive and potentially expensive upgrade.

Variants

Rossiya Airlines Tu-154M
Turan Air Tu-154M
Ural Airlines Tu-154B-2

Many variants of this airliner have been built. Like its western counterpart, the 727, many of the Tu-154s in service have been hush-kitted, and some converted to freighters.

Tu-154
Tu-154 production started in 1970, while first passenger flight was performed at 9 February 1972. Powered by Kuznetsov NK-8-2 turbofans, it carried 164 passengers. About 42 were built. Tail numbers from 85006 to 85055.
Tu-154A
The first upgraded version of the original Tu-154, the A model, in production since 1974, added center-section fuel tanks and more emergency exits, while engines were upgraded to higher-thrust Kuznetsov NK-8-2U. Other upgrades include automatic flaps/slats and stabilizer controls and modified avionics. Max. take-off weight – 94,000 kg (207,235 lb). There were 15 different interior layouts for the different domestic and international customers of the airplane, seating between 144 and 152 passengers. The easiest way to tell the A model from the base model is by looking at the spike at the junction of the fin and tail; this is a fat bullet on the A model rather than a slender spike on the base model.[9] Tail numbers from 85056 to 85119.
Tu-154B
As the original Tu-154 and Tu-154A suffered wing cracks after only a few years in service, a version with a new, stronger wing, designated Tu-154B, went into production in 1975. It also had an extra fuel tank in fuselage, extra emergency exits in the tail, and the maximum take-off weight grew to 98,000 kg (216,053 lb). Also important to Aeroflot was that the increased passenger capacity led to lower operating costs. As long as the airplane had the NK-8-2U engines the only way to improve the economics of the airplane was to spread costs across more seats.[10] The autopilot was certified for ICAO Category II automatic approaches. Most previously built Tu-154 and Tu-154A were also modified into this variant, with the replacement of the wing. Max. take-off weight increased to 96,000 kg (211,644 lb). 111 were built. Tail numbers ran from 85120 to 85225.
Tu-154B-1
Aeroflot wanted this version for increased revenue on domestic routes. It carried 160 passengers. This version also had some minor modifications to fuel system, avionics, air conditioning, landing gear. 64 were built from 1977–1978. Tail numbers from 85226 to 85294.
Tu-154B-2
A minor modernization of Tu-154B-1. The airplane was designed to be converted from the 160 passenger version to a 180 passenger version by removing the galley.[11] The procedure took about two and a half hours. Some of the earlier Tu-154B modified to that standard. Max. take-off weight increased to 98,000 kg (216,053 lb), later to 100,000 kg (220,462 lb). 311 aircraft were built, including VIP versions. Tail numbers (new-built) from 85295 to 85605. A few of them are still in use.
Tu-154S
The Tu-154S is an all-cargo or freighter version of the Tu-154B, using a strengthened floor, and adding a forward cargo door on the port side of the fuselage. The airplane could carry 9 Soviet PAV-3 pallets. Max. payload – 20,000 kg (44,092 lb). There were plans for 20 aircraft, but only nine aircraft were converted; two from Tu-154 model and seven from Tu-154B model. Trials were held in the early 1980's and the aircraft was authorized regular operations in 1984. By 1997 all had been retired. Tail numbers: 85019 (Tu-154), 85037 (Tu-154), 85060, 85062, 85063, 85067, 85081, 85084, 85086.[12]
Tu-154M
The Tu-154M and Tu-154M Lux are the most highly upgraded version, which first flew in 1982 and entered mass production in 1984. It uses more fuel-efficient Soloviev D-30KU-154 turbofans. Together with significant aerodynamic refinement, this led to much lower fuel consumption and therefore longer range, as well as lower operating costs. The aircraft has new double-slotted (instead of triple-slotted) flaps, with an extra 36-degree position (in addition to existing 15, 28 and 45-degree positions on older versions), which allows reduction of noise on approach. It also has a relocated auxiliary power unit and numerous other improvements. Manufacture continued through 2006, and there is still limited manufacturing as of January 2009.(photo link) Max. take-off weight increased first to 100,000 kg (220,462 lb), then to 102,000 kg (224,872 lb). Some aircraft are certified to 104,000 kg (229,281 lb). Tail numbers are 85616 (prototype), production aircraft from 85606 and on (except 85804, which is re-imported Tu-154B-2). About 320 were manufactured. Mass production ended in 2006. No new airframes have been built since the early 1990s, and production since then has involved assembling airplanes from components on hand.[13] This is the most widely used version in the former Soviet states.
Tu-154M-LK-1
Cosmonaut Trainer. This was a Salon VIP aircraft modified to train cosmonauts to fly the Buran reusable spacecraft, the Soviet equivalent of the US Space Shuttle. The Tu-154 was used because the Buran required a steep descent, and the Tu-154 was capable of replicating that. The cabin featured trainee work-stations, one of which was the same as the Buran's flightdeck. The forward baggage compartment was converted into a camera bay, because the aircraft was also used to train cosmonauts in observation and photographic techniques.[14]
Tu-154M-ON Monitoring Aircraft
Germany modified one of the Tu-154s it had on hand from the former East German Air Force into an observation airplane. This airplane was involved with the Open Skies inspection flights. It was converted at the Elbe Aircraft Plant (Elbe Flugzeugwerke) at Dresden-Klotzsche, and flew in 1996. After two dozen monitoring missions, it was lost in a mid-air collision in 1997.[15]
The Russians also converted a Tu-154M to serve as an Open Skies Monitoring aircraft. They used the Tu-154M-LK-1, and converted it to a Tu-154M-ON. When the aircraft is not flying over North America, it is used to ferry cosmonauts around. The Chinese are also believed to have converted one Tu-154 to an electronic countermeasures aircraft.[16]
Tu-154M-100
Design of this variant started in 1994, but the first aircraft were not delivered until 1998. It is an upgraded version with western avionics, including the Flight Management Computer, GPS, EGPWS, TCAS, and other modern systems. The airplane could carry up to 157 passengers. The cabin featured an automatic oxygen system and larger overhead bins. Only three were produced, as payment of debts owed by Russia to Slovakia. Three aircraft were delivered in 1998 to Slovak Airlines, and sold back to Russia in 2003.[17]

Operators

Civil operators

Aeroflot Tu-154M
S7 Airlines Tu-154M
S7 Airlines Tu-154M

As of 10 June 2010 a total of 200 Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft (all variants) remained in airline service. [18] Major operators include:

Airline In Service
Russia Aeroflot-Don 5
North Korea Air Koryo 4
Russia Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise 6
Iran Aria Air 3
Armenia Armenian Airlines
Russia Atlant-Soyuz Airlines 3
Russia Aviaenergo 4
Belarus Belavia 4
Iran Caspian Airlines 5
Russia Daghestan Airlines 6
Iran Eram Air 3
Russia Gazpromavia 4
Iran Iran Air Tours 14
Russia KMV 9
Russia Kogalymavia 4
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Airlines 3
Russia Orenair 4
Kazakhstan Sayahat 3
Iran Taban Air 5
Tajikistan Tajik Air 2
Russia Tatarstan Airlines 2
Russia Ural Airlines 5
Russia UTair Aviation 18
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Airways 6
Russia Vladivostok Air 3
Russia Yakutia Airlines 7
Russia Yamal Airlines 2
Russia Zapolyarye 8

Azerbaijan Airlines has stopped tu-154 models since 2008.

Former civil operators

Past and present operators:
Abakan Air Enterprise, Aerokuznetsk, Aeroservice Kazakhstan, Aerotrans, Aerovolga, Air Georgia, Air Great Wall, Air Savari, AJT, Amur Avia, Asian Star, Aviaprad, Aviaprima, AVL Arkhangel, Balkan Holidays Air, Baltic ExpressBarnaul Air, Bratsk Air, Chelal, Chernomoravia, China Glory,China Xinjiang, Chita Avia, Diamond Sakha, East Line, Elk Estonian, Georgia Air Prague, Gomel UAD,Imair, Iron Dragonfly, Khabarovsk Aero, Latpass, Macedonia Airservice, Moscow Airways, Murmansk Air, Nizhny Novgorod Air, Orbi Georgian, Sakha Avia, Surgut Avia, Tomsk Air, Transeuropean, Turanair, Tyumen Airlines, Ulyanovsk Airlines, Vitair.

 Albania
 Azerbaijan
 Bulgaria
 People's Republic of China
 Cuba
 Czechoslovakia
 East Germany
 Egypt
 Georgia
 Hungary
 Iran
 Kazakhstan
 Libya
 Macedonia
 Moldova
 Mongolia
 Nicaragua
 Pakistan
 Poland
 Romania
 Russia
 Slovakia
 Soviet Union
 Syria
 Turkey
 United Arab Emirates
 Ukraine

Military operators

Current

One of two Polish military VIP transport Tu-154M Lux aircraft from the 36th Special Air Transport Regiment, at Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport. The other one crashed at Smolensk North Airport on April 10, 2010, killing all on board, including the Polish President.
 Bulgaria
Bulgarian Air Force[19][20]
 People's Republic of China
People's Liberation Army Air Force
 Mongolia
 North Korea
Korean People's Air Force
 Poland
Polish Air Force – 1 Tu-154M in service, 1 Tu-154M crashed in 2010.
 Russia
Russian Air Force
 Slovakia
Slovak Air Force
 Turkmenistan
Military of Turkmenistan – 2 Tu-154B aircraft in service.
 Ukraine
Ukrainian Air Force
 Uzbekistan

Former

 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakian Air Force (passed on to successor states)
 Czech Republic
Czech Air Force (replaced by Airbus A319CJ)
 Cuba
Cuban Air Force (out of service)
 East Germany
East German Air Force (passed on to FRG)
 Germany
Luftwaffe (1 lost, the other one sold)
 Soviet Union
Soviet Air Force (passed on to successor states)

Incidents and accidents

There have been 67 serious flight incidents with Tu-154s, including 37 hull-losses involving fatalities. [21][22] Six of those incidents resulted from terrorist or military action including an accidental missile shootdown by Ukraine, several from poor runway conditions in winter (including one which struck snow ploughs on the runway), cargo overloading by airlines in the lapse of post-Soviet federal safety standards (several cases), and mid-air collisions due to faulty air traffic control or mis-communication. Other incidents have resulted from mechanical problems (two cases prior to 2001), running out of fuel on unscheduled extended route, pilot error, and cargo fires. The Tu-154 is described as having an average (or better than expected) safety record considering its length of service and heavy use in the most demanding conditions.[23]

date Tail number Location Casualties Brief description
19.02.1973 Soviet Union 85023 Czech Republic Prague 66/100 Landed 470 m short of the runway
03.1973 Soviet Union n.d. Soviet Union near Kiev 0/n.d. Crashed.
07.05.1973 Soviet Union 85030 Soviet Union Vnukovo 0/6 Crashed during training flight.
10.07.1974 Egypt SU-AXB Egypt Cairo 6/6 Crashed during training flight.
30.09.1975 Hungary HA-LCI Lebanon Beirut 60/60 Crashed in the sea on final approach, allegedly was shot down.
01.06.1976 Soviet Union 85102 Equatorial Guinea Malabo 46/46 Crashed in the mountain on final approach.
1976 Soviet Union 85020 Soviet Union Kiev 0/n.d. Rough landing, written off. Now in museum.
02.12.1977 Bulgaria LZ-BTN Libya Bengazi 59/165 Unable to land in dense fog the plane ran out of fuel searching another airfield and crash-landed
23.03.1978 Bulgaria LZ-BTB Syria near Damascus 4/4 Crashed on final approach.
19.05.1978 Soviet Union 85169 Soviet Union Tver oblast 4/134 Fuel supply turned off due to flight engineer error, crash-landed in a field
18.02.1978 Soviet Union 85087 Soviet Union Novosibirsk 0/n.d. Fire onboard
01.03.1980 Soviet Union 85103 Soviet Union Orenburg 0/161 Rough landing
07.07.1980 Soviet Union 85355 Soviet Union Alma-Ata 164/164 Crashed at take-off.
07.08.1980 Romania YP-TPH  Mauritania 1/168 Ditched 300 m short of runway.
08.10.1980 Soviet Union 85321 Soviet Union Chita 0/n.d. Rough landing.
13.06.1981 Soviet Union 85029 Soviet Union Bratsk 0/n.d. Overran on landing, the fuselage broke into two
16.11.1981 Soviet Union 85480 Soviet Union Norilsk 99/167 Rough landing 470 m short of runway due to crew errors
21.10.1981 Hungary HA-LCF Czech Republic Prague 0/81 Rough landing due to crew error.
11.10.1984 Soviet Union 85243 Soviet Union Omsk 4+174/179 Collided with maintenance vehicles on landing due to controller error
23.12.1984 Soviet Union 85338 Soviet Union Krasnoyarsk 110/110 Engine fire and hydraulics fault.
10.07.1985 Soviet Union 85311 Soviet Union Uchkuduk 200/200 Overloaded plane stalled and crashed due to crew errors.
1986 People's Democratic Republic of Yemen 7O-ACN People's Democratic Republic of Yemen Aden n.d. Overran on landing, never repaired
21.05.1986 Soviet Union 85327 Soviet Union Domodedovo 0/175 The deformation of fuselage due to crew errors during the flight
18.01.1988 Soviet Union 85254 Soviet Union Krasnovodsk 11/143 Rough landing, the plane broke into two
08.03.1988 Soviet Union 85413 Soviet Union Vetschyovo 9/n.d. Blown up by hijackers (Ovechkin family).
24.09.1988 Soviet Union 85479 Syria Aleppo 0/168 Broke into two on landing, was caught by wind shear
24.09.1988 Soviet Union 85617 Soviet Union Norilsk 0/n.d. Rough landing, turned into training mock-up
13.01.1989 Soviet Union 85067 Liberia Monrovia 0/n.d. Aborted take-off, overran. The plane was overloaded.
09.02.1989 Romania YR-TPJ Romania Bucharest 5/5 Crashed at take-off due to engine failure
20.10.1990 Soviet Union 85268 Soviet Union Kutaisi 0/171 Nosegear collapsed due to overload
17.11.1990 Soviet Union 85664 Czech Republic Czech republic 0/6 Fire onboard, the plane burned out after emergency landing
23.05.1991 Soviet Union 85097 Soviet Union St Petersburg 2+13/178 Rough landing, nosegear collapsed and plane broke into two
14.09.1991 Cuba CU-T1227 Mexico Mexico City 0/112 Overran on landing
05.06.1992 Bulgaria LZ-BTD Bulgaria Varna 0/130 Overran on landing in heavy rain
18.06.1992 Russia 85282 Russia Bratsk 1+0/0 Burned out during refueling.
18.06.1992 Russia 85234 Russia Bratsk 0/0 Burned out in the same incident.
20.07.1992 Georgia (country) 85222 Georgia (country) Tbilisi 4+24/24 Crashed at take-off due to overload
01.08.1992 Afghanistan YA-TAP Afghanistan Kabul 0/0 Destroyed in the airport by mortar fire
05.09.1992 Ukraine 85269 Ukraine Kiev 0/147 Rough landing with left gear up
13.10.1992 Russia 85528 Russia Vladivostok 0/67 The plane was unable to take-off due to overload.
05.12.1992 Armenia 85105 Armenia Erevan 0/154 Overran on landing
19.01.1993 Uzbekistan 85533 India Delhi 0/165 Rough landing due to crew error
08.02.1993 Iran EP-ITD Iran near Tehran 2+131/131 Mid-air collision with Su-22.
22.09.1993 Georgia (country) 85163 Abkhazia Sukhum 108/132 Shoot down by missile.
23.09.1993 Georgia (country) 85359 Abkhazia Sukhum 0/0 Damaged by shelling, never repaired.
25.12.1993 Russia 85296 Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Grozny 0/172 Rough landing, nosegear collapsed. Destroyed by air strike in 1994.
03.01.1994 Russia 85656 Russia Irkutsk 1+125/125 Engine fire at take-off, hydraulics failed.
06.06.1994 People's Republic of China B-2610 People's Republic of China Xian 160/160 Disintegrated in mid-air due to errors in auto-pilot settings.
21.01.1995 Kazakhstan 85455 Pakistan Karachi 0/117 The plane was unable to take-off due to overload.
07.12.1995 Russia 85164 Russia near Khabarovsk 98/98 Asymmetrical fuel supply from wing tanks, the captain mistakenly increased the right heel and the plane crashed.
29.08.1996 Russia 85621 Norway Longyearbyen 141/141 Crashed in the mountain on final approach due to crew error.
13.09.1997 Germany 11+02 Namibia Namibia 24/24 Mid-air collision with USAAF C-141.
15.12.1997 Tajikistan 85281 United Arab Emirates Sharja 85/86 Landed short of runway, crew error.
29.08.1998 Cuba CU-T1264 Ecuador Quito 10+70/91 Aborted take-off, overran and caught fire.
24.02.1999 People's Republic of China B-2622 People's Republic of China Ruian 61/61 Crashed on final approach due to technical failure.
04.07.2000 Hungary HA-LCR Greece Saloniki 0/76 Was unable to go around due to intense braking for to avoid collision with another aircraft on runway.
03.07.2001 Russia 85845 Russia Irkutsk 145/145 Stalled and crashed on final approach due to crew errors.
04.10.2001 Russia 85693 Black sea 78/78 Allegedly shoot down by stray Ukrainian missile
12.02.2002 Iran EP-MBS Iran Khorremabad 119/119 Crashed on final approach
20.02.2002 Iran EP-LBX Iran Mashhad 0/n.d. Rough landing, sent to Vnukovo for repair where a nosegear collapsed.
01.07.2002 Russia 85816  Germany 69/69 Mid-air collision with Boeing 757 due to controller error.
24.08.2004 Russia 85556 Russia Millerovo 46/46 Exploded in mid-air by suicide bomber.
22.08.2006 Russia 85185 Ukraine near Donetsk 170/170 The plane stalled and crashed due to attempt to fly over the storm at critical altitude
01.09.2006 Iran EP-MCF Iran Mashhad 29/147 The tyre blow out on landing, the plane skidded off the runway and caught fire
30.06.2008 Russia 85667 Russia St Petersburg 0/112 Engine fire at take-off, take off was aborted and the plane written off.
15.07.2009 Iran EP-CPG Iran near Qazvin 168/168 Engine fire and explosion, the plane lost control and crashed.
24.01.2010 Russia 85787 Iran Mashhad 0/170 Rough landing, the plane broke up and caught fire
10.04.2010 Poland 101 Russia Smolensk 96/96 Crashed on final approach in thick fog. President Lech Kaczyński and other high ranked officials were onboard and died in the crash.
07.09.2010 Russia 85684 Russia Izhma 0/81 An emergency landing at remote airfield after a power failure, the plane overran the runway and sustained damage, all passengers and crew were unharmed.[24]

Specifications

Measurement Tu-154B-2 Tu-154M
Cockpit crew 3–4
Seating capacity 114–180
Length 48.0 metres (157 ft 6 in)
Wingspan 37.55 metres (123 ft 2 in)
Wing area 201.5 square metres (2,169 sq ft)
Height 11.4 metres (37 ft 5 in)
Maximum take-off weight 98,000 kilograms (220,000 lb) – 100,000 kilograms (220,000 lb) 102,000 kilograms (220,000 lb) – 104,000 kilograms (230,000 lb)
Empty weight 50,700 kilograms (112,000 lb) 55,300 kilograms (122,000 lb)
Maximum speed 950 km/h (510 kn)
Range fully loaded 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) 5,280 kilometres (3,280 mi)
Range with max fuel 3,900 kilometres (2,400 mi) 6,600 kilometres (4,100 mi)
Service ceiling 12100 m (39700 ft)
Engine (x 3) Kuznetsov NK-8-2U Soloviev D-30KU-154
Max. thrust (x 3) 90 kN (20,000 lbf) each[25] 103 kN (23,148 lbf) each[25]

See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

Notes

  1. Photo Search Results
  2. "Аэрофлот" вывел из эксплуатации самолеты Ту-154 (in Russian)
  3. "Аэрофлот" полностью отказался от использования лайнеров Ту-154 (in Russian)
  4. "Crash focuses attention on Tupolev-154". BBC News. 10 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8612915.stm. Retrieved 26 May 2010. 
  5. Komissarov, p. 8.
  6. Komissarov, pp. 5, 18
  7. Aviakor ends Tupolev Tu-154M production after fulfilling last order
  8. Tu-154 Production Numbers
  9. Komissarov, p. 21
  10. OKB Tupolev, A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft, Yefin Gordon and Vladimir Rigmant, translated by Alexander Boyd, edited by Dmitriy Komissarov (Hinckley, UK, 2005) ISBN 1857802144 p. 257.
  11. Komissarov, p. 27
  12. Komissarov, pp. 29–31
  13. Komissarov, p. 34
  14. Komissarov, pp. 36–37
  15. Komissarov, pp. 38–39
  16. Komissarov, p. 40
  17. Komissarov, pp. 36, 144–145
  18. Photo search results
  19. Photo Search Results
  20. Photo Search Results
  21. ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 154M 101 Smolensk Air Base. Aviation-safety.net. Retrieved on 2010-09-02.
  22. Tu-154 at Aviation Safety Database
  23. Tu-154: The backbone of Russian fleets BBC News
  24. Alrosa Tu-154 overruns after emergency landing in Russia , FlightGlobal, 2010-09-07
  25. 25.0 25.1 Originally measured as 10,500 kgf.

References

External links