1989 Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 crash

On October 18, 1989, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76, it was conducting a flight from Nasosnaya Air Base in SSR Azerbaijan to Zhovtneve Air Base in SSR Ukraine. It was carrying paratroopers from the 98th Guards Airborne Division, crashed into the Caspian Sea, killing all 57 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in Azerbaijan.

Accident
On 18 October 1989, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76, with the registration CCCP-76569, carrying paratroopers from the 98th Guards Airborne Division, crashed into the Caspian Sea, killing all 57 people on board. The incident is the deadliest aviation accident in Azerbaijan history.

The flight was part of a routine training exercise taking place near the city of Sumgait, situated along the Caspian Sea coast. The aircraft, in route to carry out a training mission, faced unforeseen technical difficulties shortly after departing from Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

The crash prompted a swift response from search and rescue teams, who were able to recover the wreckage of the aircraft, along with the victims' remains, from the waters of the Caspian Sea. Investigations into the incident were subsequently launched to determine the precise causes of the crash.

Crew
The flight crew consisted of:
 * Captain: Alexander Nickolaevich Kalymykov (aged 41)
 * First Officer: Valery Viktorovich Vologin (aged 27)
 * Flight Engineer: Alexander Nickolaevich Pesterev
 * Navigator: Fashkhaddin Zakirov
 * Flight Operator Instructor: Yuriy Nickolaevich Gavrikov
 * Air Gunner: Alexander Vladimirovich Andriyash
 * Flight Engineer Instructor: Evgeny Viktorovich Andreev

Investigation
The cause of the accident was an engine design flaw. The inter-shaft bearing had failed, leading to the low-pressure turbine shaft fracturing from heat.

Legacy

 * The occupants were posthumously awarded the order "For Personal Courage".
 * Monuments were built in Bolhrad, Ivanovo, Hvardiiske Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and in Аrtsyz, Odesa Oblast.
 * The Blue Berets wrote a song called dedicated to the crew.