Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 130

The accident aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-18D with factory number 186009002 and serial number 090-02. It was manufactured and first flew in 1966, flying for TABSO until 1968, when it was transferred to Bulair.^[2]

The Il-18 was inspected two days before the accident. By the time of the crash, the aircraft was considered airworthy, having logged 8,622 flight hours and 3,136 pressurisation cycles. There were eight crew members: a captain, a co-pilot, a navigator, a flight engineer, a radio operator, a trainee, and two flight attendants.^[3] The captain was Vladimir Vladov.^[4]

Flight 130 departed Paris in the afternoon and climbed to its assigned altitude. After entering Zurich airspace, the captain asked for the weather conditions there and heard reports about improving weather.^[5] The air traffic controller cleared the flight for landing.^[4] They initiated approach in bad conditions. On final approach, the crew noticed the plane was off-course and tried to correct; however at 15:49, the left wingtip and undercarriage struck the ground. The Il-18 ended up in flames 700 m (2,300 ft) short of the runway. The crash destroyed the aircraft.^[1][3]