These are the chilling final words of a pilot who tragically allowed his children to sit in the cockpit and pretend to control the plane, leading to one of the deadliest accidents in aviation history.On March 23, 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593 experienced a catastrophic crash, killing all 75 passengers and crew onboard. It remains one of the most devastating and preventable crashes in history.
The flight was on its way from Moscow to Hong Kong during the late hours of the night. Among the crew was Captain Andrew Viktorovich Danilov, who had an impressive 9,500 flight hours under his belt. He was joined by First Officer Igor Vasilyevich Piskaryov and Relief Captain Yaroslav Vladimirovich Kudrinsky, both of whom were also seasoned pilots.
Despite the extensive experience of the crew, none of the pilots could anticipate the series of errors that would result from allowing children to interact with the plane’s controls.This particular flight marked the first international trip for Kudrinsky’s children, Yana, 13, and Eldar, 15. Wanting to make the journey special for them, Kudrinsky invited them into the cockpit, a decision that ultimately proved disastrous.
Although regulations strictly forbid such actions, the crew believed the autopilot system would ensure safety. They assumed the children’s interaction with the controls would be harmless since the plane was not meant to respond to their inputs.
The tragedy occurred on an Aeroflot flightJoanValls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images
First, Kudrinsky’s daughter Yana was allowed to sit in the pilot’s seat at around 12:43 a.m. She playfully pretended to fly the plane while it remained on autopilot.A few minutes later, at around 12:51 a.m., Kudrinsky’s son Eldar took his turn in the pilot’s seat. He was permitted to move the controls, again under the assumption that the autopilot would keep the plane steady.
