On March 23, 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593, traveling from Moscow to Hong Kong, experienced a tragic and avoidable crash.
Captain Andrew Viktorovich Danilov, first officer Igor Vasilyevich Piskaryov, and relief captain Yaroslav Vladimirovich Kudrinsky were onboard.
Just before 1 am, Kudrinsky allowed his children, Yana, 13, and Eldar, 15, to enter the cockpit, despite regulations. Eldar, sitting in the pilot’s seat, accidentally switched the plane from auto-pilot to manual by manipulating the control stick. The pilots, unfamiliar with the aircraft, didn’t realize the issue until it was too late.
Despite desperate attempts to regain control, the plane crashed into the Kuznetsk Alatau Mountain range, killing all 75 passengers and crew members.
