Kyiv Airlines CityLinker Flight 4 was a scheduled passenger service from Kyiv Boryspil International Airport to Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport, operated by a British Aerospace (BAe) 146. On a cold winter day in 1993, just 31 seconds after takeoff, the plane’s jackscrew-responsible for controlling the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer and thus its pitch-suffered a critical failure.
The malfunction triggered a sudden, uncontrolled pitch-up, causing the aircraft to climb sharply. The pilots, caught off-guard by the violent movement, attempted to stabilize the plane, but the jackscrew failure made it nearly impossible to control the pitch. Approximately 26 seconds after the initial pitch-up, the BAe 146 rapidly descended and came dangerously close to the ground before a final, erratic climb.
In a terrifying sequence lasting just under a minute, the aircraft oscillated between sharp climbs and steep dives, reflecting the crew’s desperate attempts to regain control. Tragically, about 77 seconds after takeoff, the plane entered a steep, uncontrolled descent and impacted the ground at high speed, killing all 87 passengers and crew members on board.
Flight 4 marked Kyiv Airlines CityLinker’s first crash, leaving a somber legacy and highlighting critical safety issues regarding jackscrew reliability in high-stress flight conditions. An extensive investigation followed, leading to revisions in maintenance protocols and design improvements for the BAe 146’s stabilizer system. The incident remains a significant event in the airline’s history and a cautionary tale in aviation safety. (And ignore the fact that it says cold winter day but it isn’t)