Collision over Dneprodzerzhinsk

  On the 11^th of August in 1979 two TU134 collided in air over Dneprodzerzhinsk. One of them was performing flight Tashkent-Donetsk-Moscow. There were 84 people on its board, including 17 footballers of Pakhaakor team. Another traffic was executing flight with the route Chelyabinsk-Voronezh-Kishinev. There were 88 passengers and 6 crew members there.

That day there were 6 controllers on duty at Kharkov control center. The supervisor assigned inexperienced young controller to the busiest sector and one more ACC to control him (though according to instruction he had to execute it himself). The situation was complicated by the state flight that day. (Deputy of Leonid Brezhnev who was resting in Crimea was supposed to visit him on the peninsular.) One of three existing air corridors was reserved for the state flight.

The two aircraft were flying ahead each other with the 90° angle at the altitude 8400meters in clouds. The young controller calculated that the two aircraft would avoid conflicting point. It was his crucial fault. Another controller spotted the eminent danger and instructed Belarus crew to climb 9600 meters. “Roger”- it was an answer heard on the air. But the call sign was indistinct. The ATC was sure that Minsk crew replied and the instruction was being performed. But in fact these words belonged to another aircraft Il62 which was flying to Tashkent. In 1 minute 5 seconds both aircraft collided at 8400meters.None of the passengers survived. Both area controllers were convicted in homicide by negligence and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

 

 

UNIT 3

WEATHER

I. New vocabulary.

· Crucial importance/ paramount importance

· Hazardous/ dangerous weather conditions

· Marginal weather conditions

· Adverse weather conditions

· To postpone the flight/to suspend the flight

· To circumnavigate

· To be of great advantage/ disadvantage

· To deteriorate / to impair

· The decision rests with the pilot

· Runway visual range

· To present/ pose danger for

· To melt

· To alert/ to warn

· To resist the strike

· To be vulnerable

· Humidity

· To affect/ influence on

· To encounter

· To be aware of

· Sliding off the RW

· Skidding of the RW

· Overrunning

· Blustery

· Violent wind

· Sleet

· Slush

· Ascending air currents/ air flow

· Descending air current / air flow

· Airport comes into a standstill

· Wind velocity

· To break out

· To pay particular attention to

· To take into account

· To pose obvious danger to

· Ball lightning

· Bolt of lightning

· Sheet lightning

· A fog clears / lets up / lifts.

· Volcano eruption

 

II. Replace the explanations with suitable words from active vocabulary.

1. to delay the flight for some period of time

2. to become hazardous for smth

3. to get worse

4. to meet unexpectedly

5. to know smth

6. going up air flow

7. going down air flow

8. to start

9. splash of lightning

10. fog disappears

 

III. Fill the gaps with words and word combinations in the necessary form from the box.

to rest with the pilot  to deteriorate    to break out    to be vulnerable to pose danger circumnavigation to come into the standstill  to be aware  to take into account bolt of lightning crucial importance

 

1. It is a common situation in our country when airport___________due to severe snow storm.

2. __________blinded the pilots and for some seconds they lost control.

3. There was poor visibility of 500 meters when they were approaching. In such conditions the decision ___________.

4. Braking coefficient is of _________ in winter time while performing landing.

5. The weather ________and they had to divert to the alternative.

6. The crew ______________.of wind shear.

7. Thunderstorm ___________ suddenly and caused __________of this area.

8. Wind direction is __________ before landing and take off.

9. Blustery cross wind _________________.to landing aircraft.

10. Aircraft on approach ____________ to the influence of wind shear.