Plane crash on the Neva: A Tu124 aircraft (registration number SSR45021) involved in scheduled flight No. 366 from Tallinn met an unfortunate end on August 21, 1963.

In a remarkable display of professionalism and calmness under critical circumstances, a passenger aircraft made an emergency water landing on the Neva River in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) on October 6, 1981. The unique incident, which occurred without any casualties, is still taught in aviation academies worldwide as an exemplary case of exceptional piloting skills.

The incident took place on flight No. 366 from Tallinn to Moscow, with a Tu124 passenger aircraft bearing tail number SSR45021. As the plane prepared for takeoff from Tallinn, the front landing gear failed to move, leaving the aircraft unable to land conventionally.

With the weather in Tallinn deteriorating sharply, with fog thickening at the airfield, the plane was forced to seek an alternate airfield in Leningrad. However, shortly after takeoff, the aircraft lost engine power, and the commander, 27-year-old Viktor Yakovlevich Mostovoy, made the decision to land the plane on the water in the riverbed of the Neva.

Co-pilot Vasily Pavlovich Chechenev, who had seaplane experience, demonstrated his skills during the emergency landing. The aircraft touched the water at a speed of approximately 320 km/h, skidding across the surface and stopping about 100 meters from a bridge. The depth of the Neva River at the landing site was 13 meters, posing a risk of sinking.

Fortunately, both engines stopped when the aircraft was preparing to land, due to fuel running out. The impact was timed perfectly; a second earlier or later could have resulted in a water hammer or a collision with bridge pillars.

The crew was allowed to circle over the suburbs of Leningrad to run out of fuel before an emergency landing. The aircraft was directly above the historical center of Leningrad, approximately in the area of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Upon landing, the aircraft received a hole, and water quickly flowed into the cabin. Captain Nikolai Yefimov of the tug "Surf" rescued the sinking aircraft, providing enough time for evacuation. The passengers and crew were eventually brought to safety, with no injuries or fatalities reported.

This successful landing of the passenger liner on the water without casualties is a unique event in the history of the USSR and Russia. Commander Viktor Mostovoy and co-pilot Vasily Chechenev were honoured with orders and recognised as heroes of civil aviation.

Among the passengers on the flight was Bishop Alexy (Ridiger), who later became Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. This incident continues to serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of quick thinking, skill, and determination in the face of adversity.

Plane crash on the Neva: A Tu124 aircraft (registration number SSR45021) involved in scheduled flight No. 366 from Tallinn met an unfortunate end on August 21, 1963.