Timesdo, Moscow, Russia – An aviation incident that occurred on March 23, 1994, remains one of the most shocking in aviation history. Aeroflot flight 593, traveling from Moscow to Hong Kong, crashed in Siberia, claiming the lives of all 75 people on board, including the pilot’s family.
Disturbing black box recordings reveal the terrifying last words of pilot Yaroslav Vladimirovich Kudrinsky, who, in a fatal lapse of judgment, allowed his children, aged 12 and 16, to take control of the aircraft shortly before the disaster.
Although the autopilot was engaged, theoretically keeping the aircraft on course, young Eldar accidentally switched off the system while attempting to manipulate the controls, giving him full control. This triggered a chain of fatal events. The aircraft began turning unexpectedly, almost 90 degrees, a movement impossible for the Airbus A310. The recording captures the pilot shouting in desperation: «Go back! Go back, Eldar!» and then, trying to calm the situation, telling the children: «Get out now! Everything is fine.» However, by that point, the aircraft was already in a free fall toward the Kuznetsk Alatau mountain range.
The recording shows how the pilots, realizing the gravity of the situation, tried to correct the aircraft’s trajectory, but their efforts were in vain. Although they managed to prevent an immediate crash, the plane stalled again and, unable to regain control, crashed at high speed. Subsequent investigations found no technical failure in the aircraft but concluded that the incident was caused by the reckless decision to allow the children to operate the aircraft controls.
This tragic event underscores the importance of discipline and safety in the cockpit and how a hasty decision can change the fate of everyone on board. From now on, experts stress that safety protocols must be more rigorous to prevent incidents like this from recurring. The consequences of this disaster not only marked aviation history but also provided a crucial lesson on the responsibility of pilots and the decisions made in times of emergency.