Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023
1997 aviation accident
Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023 was an international charter flight between Stavropol in southern Russia and Trabzon in Turkey operated by the Russian airline Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia (SAAK). On 18 March 1997, while cruising at 6,000 metres (20,000 ft), the Antonov An-24 operating the flight suffered a catastrophic structural failure, in which its tailplane separated in mid-flight. The aircraft then disintegrated and crashed into a forest, killing all 50 passengers and crew on board.
The final report concluded that the crash was caused by improper maintenance by the airline and lack of oversight on the proper maintenance procedures. The aircraft had been brought back from multiple flights in Africa and corrosions had appeared under the aircraft's lavatory. The ground crew had not properly maintained the aircraft, causing the cracks to form and widen, that eventually travelled through the entire tailplane and caused the tail to separate.
Background
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was an Antonov An-24 with a registration number of RA-46516. The aircraft, manufactured in 1973, was operated by Aeroflot for two decades before being delivered to SAAK airlines in 1993. Its newest airworthiness certificate was issued in 1996. The aircraft had accrued a total flying hours of more than 41,000 flight hours.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023” as 1997 aviation accident. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as 1997 aviation accident. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7604846. Authority coordinates are 44.217, 42.050. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1023, 1997, 1973 and 1993.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.