1942 Aeroflot Tupolev ANT-20bis crash

On 14 December 1942, a Tupolev ANT-20bis aircraft operated by Russian airline Aeroflot crashed during a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Urgench to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. All 36 people on board died, and the accident was due to a loss of control.

Flight
On 12 December the aircraft flew from Urgench to Chardzhou (now Türkmenabat) with 85 passengers and 1925 kg of cargo. Two days later at 11:50, the aircraft took off for Tashkent with 26 passengers and 10 crew, flying at 500 m. Two hours and 10 minutes into the flight, the aircraft suddenly pitched down and entered a steep dive, crashing into the ground at an 80° angle in the steppe 3 km northeast of the "Pakhta-Aral" state farm (86 km southwest of Tashkent Airport). None of the 36 on board survived.

Investigation
It was revealed that the pilot had left the cockpit and had allowed a passenger to take control of the aircraft. While at the controls, the passenger disengaged the autopilot, sending the aircraft into a dive.