Yakovlev Yak-40

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Yak-40
Samara Airlines Yak-40
Role Regional jet/ VIP transport
National origin Soviet Union
Manufacturer Yakovlev
First flight October 21, 1966
Introduction September 1968 (Aeroflot)
Primary user Aeroflot
Produced 1967-1981
A lineup of Yak-40s at Kiev International Airport.

The Yakovlev Yak-40 (NATO reporting name: Codling) is a small, three-engined airliner that is often called the first regional jet transport aircraft. It was introduced in September 1968 with Aeroflot.

Contents

[edit] Development

By the early 1960s, the Soviet state airline Aeroflot's international and internal trunk routes were flown by jet or turboprop powered airliners but their local services, many of which operated from grass airfields, were operated by obsolete piston engined aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-12, Il-14 and Lisunov Li-2.[1] Aeroflot wanted to replace these elderly airliners with a turbine-powered aircraft, with the Yakovlev design bureau being assigned to design the new airliner. High speed was not required, but it would have to operate safely and reliably out of poorly equipped airports with short (less than 700 m, (2,300 ft)) unpaved runways in poor weather.[2]

Yakovlev studied both turboprop and jet-powered designs to meet the requirement, including Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) designs with lift jets in the fuselage or in wing-mounted pods, but eventually they settled on a straight-winged tri-jet carrying 20 to 25 passengers. Engines were to be the new AI-25 turbofan being developed by Ivchenko at Zaporozhye in Ukraine.[3]

[edit] Design

The Yak-40 is a low-winged cantilever monoplane with unswept wings, a large T-tail and a retractable tricycle landing gear. The passenger cabin is ahead of the wing, with the short rear fuselage carrying the three turbofan engines, with two engines mounted on short pylons on the side of the fuselage and a third engine buried in the rear fuselage, with air fed from a dorsal air-intake ahead of the fin by a "S-duct", as was an auxiliary power unit which was fitted to allow engine start-up without ground support on primitive airfields.[4][5] The three AI-25 engines were two-shaft engines rated at 14.7 kN (3,300 lbf). The engines had no jetpipes, and initially no thrust reversers.[6][7]

The pressurized fuselage has a diameter of 2.4 metres (94 in). Pilot and co-pilot sit side-by-side in the aircraft's flight deck, while the passenger cabin has a standard layout seating 24 passengers three-abreast, although 32 passengers can be carried by switching to four-abreast seating. Passengers entered and left the aircraft via a set of ventral airstairs in the rear fuselage.[7][8]

The wing is fitted with large trailing-edge slotted flaps, but had no other high-lift devices, relying on the aircraft's low wing loading to give the required short-field take-off and landing performance. The port and starbord wings join at the aircraft centreline, with the main spar running from wingtip to wingtip, with the wings housing integral fuel tanks with a capacity of 3,800 litres (1,000 US gal; 840 imp gal). The aircraft has a large fin, which is swept back at an angle of 50 degrees to move the tailplane rearwards to compensate for the short rear fuselage. The horizontal tailplane itself is unswept. [5][9]

[edit] Operational history

General Air Yak-40EC seen at Groningen Airport in the early 1970s.

The first of five prototypes made its maiden flight on 21 October 1966,[7] with production being launched at the Saratov Aviation Plant in 1967 and Soviet type certification granted in 1968.[5] The type carried out its first passenger service for Aeroflot on 30 September 1968.[9]

By the time production ended in 1981 the factory at Saratov had produced 1,011 aircraft. By 1993 Yak-40s operated by Aeroflot had carried 354 million passengers.[10] As well as being the backbone of Aeroflot's local operations, flying to 276 domestic destinations in 1980, the Yak-40 was also an export success. A total of 130 were exported to Afghanistan, Angola, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Laos, Madagascar, Poland, Syria, Vietnam, Yugoslavia and Zambia.[5][10]

[edit] Variants

  • Yak-40 - The first production model.
  • Yak-40-25 Military conversion with the nose of a MiG-25R and SRS-4A Elint installation.
  • Yak-40 Akva (Aqua) - Military conversion with nose probe, pylon-mounted sensors, a fuselage dispenser and underwing active jammer pods.
  • Yak-40DTS - Only known by the designation. Possibly a long-range cargo version.
  • Yak-40EC - Export version.
  • Yak-40 Fobos (Phobos) - Military conversion with two dorsal viewing domes and a removable window on each side.
  • Yak-40K - cargo / convertible / combi version with a large freight door.
  • Yak-40 Kalibrovshchik - Military Elint conversion with a "farm" of blade, dipole and planar antennas.
  • Yak-40L - Proposed version with two Lycoming LF507-1N turbofans, a joint program between Skorost and Textron (now Allied-Signal) Lycoming. The original design would have had a slightly swept wing.
  • Yak-40 Liros - Military conversion with nose probe carrying air-data sensors.
  • Yak-40M - Proposed 40-seat stretched passenger version.
  • Yak-40 M-602 - Flying testbed with a Czechoslovak M 602 turboprop installed in the nose.
  • Yak-40 Meteo - Military conversion with multipole dipole antennas and fuselage dispenser.
  • Yak-40P - Yak-40L with large nacelles projecting ahead of the wings.
  • Yak-40REO - Military conversion with large ventral canoe for IR linescan. Lateral observation blister on right side.
  • Yak-40 Shtorm - Military conversion with multiple probes and sensors on the forward sidewalls.
  • Yak-40TL - Proposed American version, to be powered by three Lycoming LF 507 turbofan engines.
  • Yak-40V - Export version powered by three AI-25T turbofan engines.

[edit] Operators

Yak-40 operators (exclusively civil operators in blue)
Serbian Air Force Yak-40
Czech Air Force Yak-40 landing

[edit] Civilian Operators

In November 2011 a total of 220 out of 926 Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft remain in airline service.[11] Major operators include:[citation needed]

 Afghanistan
 Azerbaijan
 Bolivia
 Bulgaria
 Cuba
 Czech Republic
  • Government of the Czech Republic
 Czechoslovakia
 Egypt
 West Germany
  • General Air - Former operator.
 Greece
 Honduras
  • Rollins Air (2)
 Hungary
 Kazakhstan
 Kyrgyzstan
 Libya
 Lithuania
 Moldova
 Philippines
 Russia
 Slovakia
  • Government of Slovakia
 Soviet Union
 Syria
 Tajikistan
 Turkmenistan
 Ukraine
 Uzbekistan
 Venezuela
  • Oriental de Aviación
 Vietnam

[edit] Military Operators

 Angola
Angolan Air Force
 Bulgaria
Bulgarian Air Force - former operator
 Cuba
Cuban Air Force
 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakian Air Force
 Czech Republic
Czech Air Force - 8 in service
 East Germany
East German Air Force
 Ethiopia
Ethiopian Air Force
 Equatorial Guinea
 Guinea-Bissau
 Hungary
Hungarian Air Force
 Laos
Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force
 Lithuania
Lithuanian Air Force
 Madagascar
 Poland
Polish Air Force - All 4 grounded
 Russia
Russian Air Force
 Serbia
Serbian Air Force
 Syria
Syrian Air Force
 Soviet Union
Soviet Air Force - former operator
 Vietnam
Vietnam People's Air Force
 Yemen
Yemen Air Force
 Yugoslavia
SFR Yugoslav Air Force
 Zambia
 Zimbabwe
Air Force of Zimbabwe

[edit] Notable accidents and incidents

  • On May 4, 1972, an Aeroflot/East Siberia Yak-40 with 18 passengers and crew on approach to Bratsk Airport, Russia (then USSR) crashed due to wind shear. All aboard perished.[12][13]
  • On February 28, 1973, an Aeroflot/Kazakhstan flight from Semipalatinsk Airport, Kazakhstan (then USSR) to Ust-Kamenogorsk Airport, Kazakhstan fell back onto the runway after take-off. All 28 passengers and 4 crew died.[14]
  • On July 15, 1975, an Aeroflot/Armenia passenger flight from Zvartnots International Airport, Armenia to Batumi-Chorokh Airport Georgia on go-around crashed into Mount Mtirala (in the Caucasus) killing all 41 on board.[15]
  • On August 15, 1975, an Aeroflot/Azerbaijan aircraft from Baku Airport, Azerbaijan (then USSR) to Krasnovodsk Airport (now the airport of Türkmenbaşy), Turkmenistan (then USSR) stalled and subsequently crashed during approach due to pilot error and unfavourable weather conditions killing 23 of the 28 on board.[16]
  • On September 9, 1976, an Aeroflot/North Kavkaz flight from Rostov Airport, Russia (then USSR) to Kerch Airport, Ukraine (then also USSR) collided with an Antonov An-24 over the Black Sea 37 km/23 miles off Anapa due to violation of separation rules, the error of both aircraft crews and probably ground ATC. All 18 occupants of the Yak-40 and 46 people on board the An-24 died.[17][18]
  • On October 7, 1978, an Aeroflot/Kazakhstan flight with 38 people on board departed Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport, Russia for Kostanay-Narimanovka Airport, Kazakhstan but the left engine failed about 30 seconds after take off due to icing. The aircraft lost height and collided with a hill killing all occupants.[19][20]
  • On June 8, 1980, a TAAG Angola Airlines Yak transporting civilians was shot down by a MiG-19 (origin unclear) near Matala, Angola killing all 19 occupants.[21]
  • On June 12, 1980, an Aeroflot/Tajikistan on a passenger flight from Leninabad, since 1991 called Khujand, Tajikistan (then USSR) to Dushanbe Airport, Tajikistan with 29 on board crashed into a mountain 44 km/27m north-west of the airport due to navigational errors by the crew killing all occupants.[22][23]
  • On September 18, 1981, an Aeroflot/East Siberia flight from Irkutsk Airport, Russia to Zheleznogorsk-Ilimskiy Airport, Russia collided with a Mi-8 helicopter on a training flight while approaching its destination airport. The supposed site of the collision occurred in the clouds. All 33 on board the Yak-40 and seven occupants of the Mi-8 were killed, making it the deadliest Yak-40 incident prior to August 1, 1990.[24][25]
  • On January 24, 1988, an Aeroflot/Privolzhsk aircraft experienced failure of engine No.1 and No.3 during take-off from Nizhnevartovsk Airport, Russia. Engine No.2 also experienced some problems, but recovered while engines No.1 and No.3 eventually failed. The plane stalled, crashed and broke up killing 27 of 31 on board. Cause was possible crew error.[26][27]
  • On August 2, 1988, at Sofia Airport, the Balkan Yak-40 LZ-DOK crashed on take-off. All civil traffic had been halted minutes before because of the departure of the Bulgarian "Air Force One" Tupolev Tu-154, carrying Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov. Because of the delay, air traffic control cleared LZ-DOK for take-off to Varna, asking the crew to expedite their departure. Trying to leave in a hurry, the crew did not set the trim correctly and initiated the start from the middle of the 3000 m runaway. The aircraft failed to become airborne. It overran the runway into a ravine and caught fire, with 28 of 37 occupants being killed.
  • On August 1, 1990, an Aeroflot/Armenia Yak-40 traveling from Zvartnots International Airport, Armenia to Stepanakert Airport, Azerbaijan carrying 47 passengers, crashed when the aircraft hit a mountain 22 km (14 mi) away from its destination killing all on board. The cause was most likely pilot error (premature descent)[28]
  • On November 14, 1992, Vietnam Airlines flight 474 with 31 passengers and crew flying from Ho Chi Minh City-Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Vietnam to the previously civilian Nha Trang Airport, Vietnam impacted obstacles on approach killing all but one passenger. Adverse weather conditions might have been involved (unclear at investigation).[29]
  • On August 28, 1993 a Tajikistan Airlines non-scheduled flight that was grossly overloaded with 86 passengers overran the runway at Khorog Airport, Tajikistan and fell into the Panj River. Three passengers survived. The crew was forced at gunpoint to overload the aircraft. This was the worst accident involving a Yak-40 [30][31]
  • On September 26, 1994, a Cheremshanka Airlines flight from Krasnoyarsk Airport, Russia to Tura ran out of fuel due to crew and ATC errors and crashed, killing all 28 on board.[32]
  • On May 17, 2001, a Faraz Qeshm Airlines flight departed Tehran, Iran heading for Gorgan Airport, Iran carrying 30 people, amongst those the Iranian Transport Minister Rahman Dadman, two deputy ministers and seven more members of parliament was forced to divert due to bad weather conditions and was later discovered crashed into the Elburz mountains, Iran. All on board perished [33][34]
  • On January 13, 2004, Uzbekistan Airways flight 1154 from Termez Airport, Uzbekistan to Tashkent International Airport, Uzbekistan, carrying 37 passengers, crashed; the crew failed to descend for approach on time. Finding the runway too short to land, an attempted go-around was initiated but ultimately failed. The left wing struck a concrete building, with the subsequent crash and fire killing all on board.[35]

[edit] Specifications (Yak-40)

Proposed VTOL and four-engined Yak-40 variants

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77[7]

General characteristics

Performance

[edit] See also

[edit] Comparable aircraft

Related development

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stroud 1968, p. 269–270.
  2. ^ Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 185.
  3. ^ Gunston and Gordon 1997, pp. 185–186.
  4. ^ Stroud 1968, p. 270–272.
  5. ^ a b c d Gordon Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 303
  6. ^ Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 187.
  7. ^ a b c d Taylor 1976, pp. 448–449.
  8. ^ Stroud 1968, pp. 272–273.
  9. ^ a b Gunston and Gordon 1997, pp. 186–187.
  10. ^ a b Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 189.
  11. ^ http://www.aerotransport.org/php/go.php
  12. ^ Bratsk Accident
  13. ^ Bratsk Accident
  14. ^ Semipalatinsk Accident
  15. ^ Mount Mtirala crash
  16. ^ Azerbaijan accident
  17. ^ Yak-40, AN-24 collision.
  18. ^ collision over the Black Sea
  19. ^ Sverdlovsk Incident
  20. ^ Sverdlovsk crash
  21. ^ MiG shoot down incident
  22. ^ accident near Dushanbe
  23. ^ controlled flight into terrain near Dushanbe
  24. ^ Yak-helicopter collision
  25. ^ collision of Yak and Mi-8
  26. ^ crash at Nizhnevartovsk
  27. ^ crash at Nizhnevartovsk
  28. ^ mountain near Stepanakert
  29. ^ Vietnam accident
  30. ^ Tajikistan Airlines accident
  31. ^ Tajikistan Airlines accident
  32. ^ Chermeshanka Airlines crash
  33. ^ crash involving Iranian minister
  34. ^ crash involving Iranian minister
  35. ^ Uzbekistan Airlines accident
  36. ^ Gunston 1995, p. 492.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

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