Aeroflot Flight 593, traveling from Moscow to Hong Kong, crashed tragically, killing everyone on board. The disaster occurred after relief pilot Yaroslav Vladimirovich Kudrinsky allowed his children, Yana and Eldar, into the cockpit. While the aircraft was on autopilot, a seemingly innocent moment turned into a deadly disaster when Eldar, the 16-year-old, mistakenly disabled the autopilot. The event, captured on the plane’s black box, offers chilling insight into the final moments of the flight.
A Father’s Decision
The fateful decision to let his children into the cockpit was made by Yaroslav, who, in a rare and unthinking moment, allowed his kids to interact with the plane’s controls. “Don’t run there, or they’ll fire us,” Yaroslav was heard telling his daughter, Yana, as she moved around the cockpit. His decision would soon lead to disastrous consequences. Although the plane was on autopilot, it required careful attention, something the children, unfamiliar with the aircraft’s complexities, were unable to provide.
Yaroslav’s children, Yana and Eldar, aged 12 and 16, were not typical passengers. Eldar, keen to explore, began playing with the aircraft’s controls during their visit. While the autopilot was engaged, Eldar managed to switch it off accidentally for around 30 seconds. This brief period was enough to send the aircraft into a dangerous spiral, as the teenager’s actions caused the plane to veer off course dramatically. The cockpit audio captured this unexpected shift, revealing the confusion and tension that followed.
As the plane veered dangerously off its flight path, Eldar realized something was wrong. “What happened?” he asked, concerned as the plane began to tilt. In that moment, the plane’s three pilots—Yaroslav, the captain, and the co-pilots—immediately recognized the threat, but the damage was already done. The Airbus A310, unable to withstand the force, began to lose altitude rapidly. A catastrophic stall followed, forcing the aircraft into a dive as it tried to recover. The pilots were fighting against the plane’s erratic movements, attempting to regain control, but time was running out.
