1974 EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crash

The 1974 EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 July 1974, when an EgyptAir Tupolev-Tu-154 aircraft crashed during a training flight near Cairo International Airport. This resulted in the deaths of all six crew members on board.

Aircraft
The aircraft was a brand-new Tupolev Tu-154, with serial number 74A-048 and manufacturing number 00-48. It was built at the Aviakor аviation plant. It was the first Tupolev Tu-154 delivered to EgyptAir, on 1 December 1973 and was named Nefertiti after the wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten.

Accident
The aircraft was performing a training flight at Cairo International Airport carrying a crew of six; two EgyptAir pilots and four Soviet instructors. After three hours and 14 minutes, the aircraft performed a touch-and-go landing on the runway known as Runway 23. during the maneuver, the aircraft pitched-up before entering a stall. This caused the aircraft to crash into the ground at 17:30 local time. All six occupants perished.

Investigation
Investigators determined that the pilot flying had applied too many pitch-up inputs, as well as incorrect center of gravity calculations. The shifting ballasts during the flight were also contributing factors.

Aftermath
The following year, in 1975, EgyptAir returned its remaining Tupolev Tu-154s to the Soviet Union. In the same year, during the production of the Tu-154B, systems for flap resynchronization and the rearrangement of stabilizers were installed to prevent any similar incidents.