LOT Flight 5055: Over 20 years after the fateful accident

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055, carrying passengers from Warsaw to New York City with a stopover in San Francisco, took off with 172 passengers and 11 crew members on board.

On a seemingly ordinary spring day in Poland, May 9, 1987, a routine transatlantic flight turned into a national tragedy.

But just 56 minutes later, the Ilyushin Il-62M plane crashed into the Kabaty Woods nature reserve on the outskirts of Warsaw, leaving no survivors.

This crash remains the deadliest aviation disaster in Poland’s history and the worst accident involving the Ilyushin Il-62 passenger aircraft.

A bad start and urgent instructions

LOT Flight 5055: Over 20 years after the fateful accident — Mike Freer – touchdown aviation (GFDL 1.2 http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html or GFDL 1.2 http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl -1.2.html), via Wikimedia Commons

The flight began uneventfully, departing Warsaw Okęcie Airport at 10:18 a.m. local time.

As Flight 5055 climbed, air traffic control (ATC) instructed the crew to reach an altitude of 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) as quickly as possible.

This unexpected change in policy raised concerns among some aviation experts.

The urgency of the instruction suggested a possible problem with Warsaw airspace, possibly due to bad weather or military activity.

However, the exact reason for the sudden diversion remains unclear.

A crippling engine failure

Shortly after climbing to 18,000 feet, disaster struck.

The aircraft’s right engine, a Soloviev D-30KU, suffered a catastrophic failure.

Defective bearings in the engine caused a shaft to disintegrate, setting off a chain reaction of events.

The disintegration caused severe damage to the surrounding wing structure and threw the aircraft into a violent spiral dive.

The crew fought desperately to regain control, but the damage was too great.

The damaged aircraft, now flying erratically, turned back toward Warsaw, probably in a last-ditch attempt to make an emergency landing.

However, the combined forces of the engine failure and resulting aerodynamic instability made recovery impossible.

A devastating effect and consequences

Photo credit: Tim Rees via Wikimedia Commons.

At 11:14 a.m., LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 crashed into the Kabaty Woods Nature Reserve at high speed.

The impact caused a massive explosion and fire, with no survivors.

The crash site was a horrific sight as the debris was scattered over a large area.

Recovering the victims’ remains proved to be a difficult task as a third were never fully recovered.

The accident triggered a comprehensive investigation by Polish and international aviation authorities.

Engine failure caused by defective bearings in the Soloviev D-30KU engine was determined to be the primary cause of the crash.

The investigation also revealed potential maintenance issues with the engine, raising questions about LOT Polish Airlines’ safety protocols.

The legacy of LOT Flight 5055

The crash of LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 was a devastating blow to Poland.

The nation mourned the loss of 183 lives, including passengers from Poland and the United States.

Following the tragedy, significant changes were made to improve aviation safety standards in Poland.

The accident also led to a reevaluation of the Soloviev D-30KU engine, with modifications made to correct the bearing problem that caused the failure on Flight 5055.

Today the memory of the victims of LOT Flight 5055 lives on.

There is a monument at the crash site in the Kabaty Forest that is a permanent reminder of the tragedy.

The accident is a stark reminder of the importance of aviation safety and the devastating consequences that mechanical failure can have.