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Aeroflot Flight 101/435
A Soviet Antonov An-24 similar to that involved in the incident
Hijacking
Date19 December 1985
Summary Hijacking
Aircraft
Aircraft type Antonov An-24
OperatorYakutsk United Air Group division of Aeroflot
RegistrationCCCP-42845
Flight origin Yakutsk
Stopover Takhtamygda
2nd stopover Chita
Destination Irkutsk
Passengers46
Crew5
Fatalities0
Survivors51

Aeroflot Flight 101/435 was a Soviet domestic passenger flight that was hijacked by its co-pilot, Shamil Alimuradov, on 19 December 1985, en route from Takhtamygda to Chita. Armed with a hatchet, Alimuradov demanded that captain Vyacheslav Abramyan divert the Antonov An-24 aircraft to China. [1] Soviet officials authorized the crew to land in China, and gave Abramyan the radio frequency of Qiqihar Airport, [1] but Alimuradov demanded that Abramayan fly to Hailar instead. The aircraft ran out of fuel, and landed in a cow pasture. [2] Alimuradov was apprehended by the Chinese, and the passengers were allowed to travel to Hailar and Harbin. [1] On 21 December, the crew and all 46 passengers returned safely to the Soviet Union.

Hijacking

According to the TASS news agency, the aircraft "had to alter its course as a result of forcible actions of an armed criminal on board and landed in the northeastern part of the People's Republic of China". [3] In 1970, following the hijacking of Aeroflot Flight 244, aircraft captains in the Soviet Union were allowed to possess arms on board; but Abramyan, despite being armed, decided not to resist as it required unbuckling his seat's safety harness. [1] However, he managed to contact air traffic control through a concealed button and report the hijacking. [1]

When the aircraft landed in China, it ran out of food and the temperature outside the aircraft was −25 °C (−13 °F). [1] The Chinese did not allow the crew to warm the cabin because it required starting the engines. [1] Later the passengers were given food and accommodation in a Hailar hotel. [1] The Soviet embassy in Beijing was notified of the incident. [1]

The next day the passengers were given questionnaires with only name and purpose of visit to be filled out. [1] The passengers were advised to write "tourist trip" as the purpose of the visit. [1] Then they visited Qiqihar, ate in a local restaurant and received Chinese vacuum flasks as gifts. [1]

Aftermath

The passengers returned from Harbin to Chita on a Tupolev Tu-134. [1] Shamil Alimuradov was found guilty after a one-day trial in the Harbin Intermediate People's Court, where he was represented by a Chinese lawyer, [4] and sentenced in March 1986 to eight years in prison. [1] After three years he was returned to the Soviet Union, where he was sentenced to five more years under Soviet laws. [1] The hijacked aircraft was flown back to the Soviet Union in January 1986.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Antonova, Irina (17 December 2010). Как Ан-24 сел на рисовое поле [How An-24 landed in a rice field] (in Russian). Il Tumen. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  2. ^ Iams, John (26 December 1985). "Soviets confirm hijack of Aeroflot plane to China". The Sacramento Bee. United Press International. p. 7. Retrieved 17 December 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Passengers, Crew in Soviet Hijacking All Safe". Los Angeles Times. 26 December 1985. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Chinese Convict Soviet In Hijack". Chicago Tribune. 5 March 1986. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
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