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Status	Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date	Monday 19 February 1973
Time	10:06
Type	Tupolev Tu-154
Operator	Aeroflot, International Civil Aviation Directorate
Registration	CCCP-85023
MSN	72A023
Year of manufature	1972
Crew	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 13
Passengers	Fatalities: 62 / Occupants: 87
Total occupants	Fatalities: 66 / Occupants: 100
Aircraft damage	Destroyed, written off
Aircraft fate	w/o
Location	0,5 km NE of Praha-Ruzyne International Airport (PRG) Czechia
Phase	Approach
Nature	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure Airport	Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO/UUEE)
Destination Airport	Praha-Ruzyne International Airport (PRG/LKPR)
Narrative	While on an ILS approach to runway 25, the aircraft suddenly descended below the glide slope and struck the ground nose wheel-first, 467 m short of the runway. It broke up and burst into flames. While investigators officially concluded that the cause of the crash was undetermined, it has been argued based on a draft of the final report, that the copilot may have inadvertently trimmed the horizontal stabilizer to 0° on final approach. PROBABLE CAUSE: "Owing to the high degree of destruction and total disintegration of the aircraft in the crash and ensuing fire it was not possible to establish the precise cause of the accident. The influence of unexpected atmospheric turbulence during the aircraft's final approach cannot be entirely ruled out."

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