Tupolev Tu-134

Tu-134
Tu-134 of Kosmos in 2008
Role	Airliner
Manufacturer	Tupolev
First flight	29 July 1963
Introduction	September 1967
Status	Active service
Primary users	Aeroflot Air Koryo Soviet Air Force numerous commercial airlines
Produced	1966–1984
Number built	852 (850 + 2 prototypes)
Developed from	Tupolev Tu-124

The Tupolev Tu-134 (NATO reporting name: Crusty) is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the French Sud Aviation Caravelle and the later-designed American Douglas DC-9, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966 to 1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners (including its sister model the Tu-154), it can operate from unpaved airfields. One of the most widely used aircraft in former Warsaw Pact countries, the number in active service is decreasing because of noise restrictions. The model has seen long-term service with some 42 countries, with some European airlines having scheduled as many as 12 daily takeoffs and landings per plane. In addition to regular passenger service, it has also been used in various air force, army and navy support roles; for pilot and navigator training; and for aviation research and test projects. In recent years, a number of Tu-134s have been converted for use as VIP transports and business jets. A total of 852 Tu-134s were built of all versions (including test bed examples) with Aeroflot as the largest user; by 1995, the Tu-134 had carried 360 million passengers for that airline.

Design and development

Tu-134UBL cockpit

Following the introduction of engines mounted on pylons on the rear fuselage by the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, airliner manufacturers around the world rushed to adopt the new layout. Its advantages included clean wing airflow without disruption by nacelles or pylons and decreased cabin noise. At the same time, placing heavy engines that far back created challenges with the location of the center of gravity in relation to the center of lift, which was at the wings. To make room for the engines, the tailplanes had to be relocated to the tail fin, which had to be stronger and therefore heavier, further compounding the tail-heavy arrangement.

Looking through the nose of an Aeroflot-Nord Tu-134 (2009)

During a 1960 visit to France, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was so impressed by the quiet cabin of the Caravelle, that on 1 August 1960 the Tupolev OKB received an official directive to create the Tu-124A with a similar engine arrangement. The requirement was also driven by the need to replace slow, aging piston-engined Il-14s on domestic routes. In 1961, the Soviet state airline, Aeroflot, updated its requirement specifications to include greater payload and passenger capacity. The first Tu-124A prototype, SSSR-45075, first flew on 29 July 1963. Then, on 22 October 1963, the British BAC One-Eleven, which had a similar layout, crashed with the loss of all crew. The aircraft had stalled shortly after takeoff and entered pitch-up: The high-mounted tailplane became trapped in the turbulent wake produced by the wings (see deep stall), which prevented recovery from the stall. As a result, the tailplane on Tu-124A was enlarged by 30% for greater control authority. Since Aeroflot's requirements dictated a larger aircraft than initially planned, the Soloviev design bureau developed the more powerful D-30 low-bypass turbofan engines. On 20 November 1963, the new airliner was officially designated Tu-134.

Design curiosities of the Tu-134 included a sharp wing sweepback of 35 degrees, compared to 25–28 degrees in its counterparts. The engines on early production Tu-134s lacked thrust reversers, which made the aircraft one of the few airliners to use a brake parachute for landing. The majority of onboard electronics operated on direct current. The lineage of early Soviet airliners could be traced directly to the Tupolev Tu-16 strategic bomber, and the Tu-134 carried over the glass nose for the navigator and the landing gear fitted with low-pressure tires to permit operation from unpaved airfields. Serial production began in 1966 at the Kharkov Aviation Production Association, and production of the Tu-126 was discontinued. The Tu-134 was designed for short-haul lines with low passenger traffic. Originally the aircraft had 56 seats in a single class configuration, or 50 seats in a two-class configuration. In 1968, Tupolev began work on an improved Tu-134 variant with a 72 seat capacity. The fuselage received a 2.1-metre (6 ft 11 in) plug for greater passenger capacity and an auxiliary power unit in the tail. As a result, the maximum range was reduced from 3100 kilometers to 2770 kilometers. The upgraded D-30 engines now featured thrust reversers, replacing the cumbersome parachute. The first Tu-134A, converted from a production Tu-134, flew on 22 April 1969. The first airline flight was on 9 November 1970. An upgraded version, the Tu-134B began production in 1980, with the navigator position finally abandoned, and seating capacity increased to 96 seats. Efforts subsequently began to develop a Tu-134D with increased engine thrust, but the project was cancelled.

Operational history

In September 1967, the Tu-134 made its first scheduled flight from Moscow to Adler. The Tu-134 was the first Soviet airliner to receive international certification from the International Civil Aviation Organization, which permitted it to be used on international routes. Due to this certification, Aeroflot used most of its Tu-134s on international routes. In 1968, the first export customers, Interflug of East Germany and LOT Polish Airlines purchased the Tu-134. In spring, 1969, the Tu-134 was displayed at the Paris Air Show.

From 1972, Aeroflot began placing the Tu-134 in domestic service to Baku, Yerevan, Kiev, Kishinev, Krasnodar, Leningrad, Omsk, Riga, and Sochi from Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. In its early years, the Tu-134 developed a reputation for reliability and efficiency, especially when compared with previous Soviet designs. However, after the establishment of tougher noise standards in the ICAO regulations in 2002, the Tu-134 was banned from most western European airports for its high noise levels. As late as early 2006, 245 Tu-134s were still in operation, 162 of which were in Russia. However, after a fatal accident in March 2007, and at the instigation of Russian Minister of Transportation Igor Levitin, Aeroflot announced that it would be retiring its fleet, and the last Tu-134 was removed from service on 1 January 2008. However, some are still in operations with Aeroflot subsidiaries on local routes within Russia. The Tu-134 also found a new life as a business jet with many having an expensive business interior installed. High fuel and maintenance costs are increasingly limiting the number used today. In June 2011, as a response to RusAir Flight 9605 which resulted in 47 fatalities, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev ordered preparations for taking the Tu-134 out of use by 2012. Many Tu-134s have been preserved as memorials at airports throughout the former Soviet Union.

Variants

Tu-134

The glass nosed version. The first series could seat up to 64 passengers, and this was later increased to 72 passengers. The original designation was Tu-124A.

Tupolev Tu-134A with its radar and glass nose

Tu-134UBL "Volga" from 1449th Airbase in Tambov city

Tu-134A

Second series, with upgraded engines, improved avionics, seating up to 84 passengers. All Tu-134A variants have been built with the distinctive glass nose and chin radar dome, but some were modified to the B standard with the radar moved to the nose radome.

Tu-134A-2

The glass nose was replaced.

Tu-134A-3

Second series, powered by two uprated Soloviev D-30 turbofan engines.

Tu-134A-5

Most recent version.

Tu-134B

Second series, 80 seats, radar moved to the nose radome, eliminating the glazed nose. Some Tu-134B models have long-range fuel tanks fitted under the fuselage; these are visible as a sizeable bulge.

Tu-134BV

Space shuttle work model.

Tu-134LK

Cosmonaut training version.

Tu-134A of the Hungarian People's Republic at Helsinki Vantaa Airport in 1978.

Tu-134UBL

Bomber aircrew training version.

Tu-134UBK

Naval version of Tu-134UBL. Only one was ever built.

Tu-134BSh

Navigation training version, fitted with a Tu-22M radar in the nose.

Tu-134SKh

Crop survey version.

Operators

Tu-134Sh "Marina Raskova" on the ramp of 1449th Air Base Tambov

Civil operators

As of 5 July 2011 a total of 233 Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft (all variants) remain in airline service. Major operators include:

North Korea

• Air Koryo 2 (the final Tu-134 was delivered to this airline)

Russia

• Aero Rent 2
• Aeroflot-Plus 3
• Alrosa-Avia 2
• Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise 2
• Centre-South 10
• Izhavia 4
• Jet air group
• Katekavia 2
• Kosmos Airlines 2
• Polet Airlines 1
• Rossiya Airlines (government fleet) 6 + 4 stored
• Sirius-Aero 3
• UTair Express 26

Georgia

• Georgian International Airlines 1

Ukraine

• Ukraine Air Enterprise 4

Sudan

• Marsland Aviation 1 (operated for Dove Air)

Former civil operators

Soviet Union/Russia

• Aeroflot

Yugoslavia/Serbia

• Aviogenex

Afghanistan

• Ariana Afghan Airlines

Bulgaria

• Balkan Bulgarian Airlines

Czechoslovakia

Tupolev Tu-134A of Ceskoslovenske Aerolinie on charter flight to Pisa Airport in 1975.

• CSA Czech Airlines

Estonia

• Estonian Air

Georgia

• Transair Georgia

Hungary

• Malév Hungarian Airlines

Kazakhstan

• Atyrau Airways
• Euro-Asia Air
• Kazair West

Kyrgyzstan

• Kyrgyzstan Air Company - 1 crashed on December 28, 2011
• Kyrgyzstan Airlines

Lithuania

• Lithuanian Airlines

Peru

• Imperial Air

Poland

• LOT Polish Airlines

East Germany

• Interflug

Russia

• Samara Airlines

Romania

• TAROM

Military Operators

Angola

People's Air and Air Defence Force of Angola

Armenia

Armenian Air Force - 1 stored

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Air Force - former operator

Belarus

Belarus Air Force - former operator

Czech Republic

Czech Air Force - former operator

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakian Air Force - Passed on successor states

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Air Force - former operator

Germany

German Air Force - former operator, taken over from East German Air Force after German reunification

Georgia

Georgian Air Force - former operator

East Germany

East German Air Force - former operator

Kazakhstan

Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan - 2 use to passenger trasport

Moldova

Moldovan Air Force - former operator

North Korea

North Korean Air Force

Poland

Polish Air Force. Operated 2 from 1972 to 1977 (later LOT) and 2 from 1977 to 1992. Retired, replaced by 2 Tupolev Tu-154M.

Russia

• Russian Air Force – 1449th Air Base located at Tambov
• Russian Naval Aviation
• Russian Coast Guard
• Russian Presidential Transport Flight

Soviet Union

• Soviet Air Force
• Soviet Naval Aviation. Passed on successor states.
• Soviet Space Agency
• Soviet Internal Troops – Prisoner Transport Service

Syria

Syrian Air Force

Ukraine

Ukrainian Air Force

Accidents and incidents

Some 69 Tu-134 have been destroyed in accidents and wars, of which 35 were non-fatal incidents (in one of the remaining 34 fatal incidents no one on the plane died).

Date	Tail number	Crash Site	Casualties	Brief description
14 January 1966	СССР-45076	Near Chkalovsky Airport	8/8	Crash of second prototype in flight testing.
23 May 1971	YU-AHZ	near Rijeka, Croatia	78/83	Aviogenex Tupolev Tu-134 crashed on approach to Rijeka Airport located on the island of Krk, rough landing in bad weather conditions.
16 September 1971	HA-LBD	Kiev, Ukraine	49/49	Malev Airlines Flight 110 crashed near Boryspil International Airport, Kiev in bad weather, following two missed approaches, after a generator failure caused the crew to switch to batteries.
30 June 1974	СССР-65668	Amman	7+2/84	Failed takeoff, crashed into buildings.
9 January 1976	DM-SCD	Leipzig	27/34	Pilot failed to check rate of descent, crashed on landing. Later sentenced to 5 years in prison for negligence. Other crewmembers sentenced to three years.
10 July 1977	CCCP-65639	Helsinki (hijacking)	0/74	A scheduled flight from Petrozavodsk to Leningrad was hijacked by Gennadi Sheludko and Alexandr Zagirnyak who tried to divert it to Sweden, but the plane landed in Helsinki instead. The hijackers surrendered the next day and were extradited to the Soviet Union.
16 March 1978	LZ-TUB	Near Sofia, Bulgaria	73/73	Balkan Bulgarian Airlines flight crashed on climb out from Sofia Airport near the village of Gabare, Bulgaria.
22 May 1979	65301	Near Liepāja	4/5	Overloaded plane failed landing in poor weather
11 August 1979	СССР-65816, СССР-65735	Near Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukraine	96/96 + 84/84	Two Aeroflot Tu-134s collided near Dneprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine.
17 June 1982	CCCP-65687	Severomorsk, Russia	18/19	A test aircraft operated by the Soviet government crashed during landing. The pilot had ignored warnings that he was descending too fast, collided with radio tower
30 August 1983	CCCP-65129	Alma-Ata	90/90	Pilot ignored altimeter, crashed on landing
18 November 1983	CCCP-65807	Tbilisi	8/NA	Failed hijacking: plane destroyed when commandos stormed cockpit.
10 January 1984	LZ-TUR	Sofia, Bulgaria	50/50	Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashed on approach to Sofia Airport.
1 February 1985	CCCP-65910	Minsk, Belarus	58/80	The crew failed to de-ice the wings before takeoff, causing a crash.
3 May 1985	CCCP-65856	near Lviv	15+ 79/79	Mid-air collision with military An-24
2 July 1986	CCCP-65120	Syktyvkar, Russia	54/94	An uncontrolled fire in the rear cargo hold led to a crash.
19 October 1986	C9-CAA	Mbuzini, South Africa	34/44	Mozambican Presidential Jet crashed on approach during a thunderstorm due to failure of the ground proximity warning system.
20 October 1986	CCCP-65766	Kuybyshev, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia	70/94	A very hard landing caused the landing gear to collapse and the aircraft to break into several pieces. Pilot sentenced to six years in prison.
12 December 1986	CCCP-65795	Berlin, East Germany	72/82	After being cleared to land on runway 25L at Berlin Schönefeld Airport, the Aeroflot flight from Minsk proceeded to approach runway 25R which was closed for construction. While attempting to switch to the correct runway, the aircraft struck trees and crashed.
27 February 1988	CCCP-65675	Surgut, Russia	20/51	Crew error while transitioning from ILS approach to visual landing resulted in the aircraft crashing to the right of the runway.
9 September 1988	VN-A102	Bangkok, Thailand	76/90	Vietnam Airlines Flight 831 crashed while attempting ILS approach in poor weather when the captain failed to execute a missed approach at the decision altitude.
13 January 1990	CCCP-65951	Pervouralsk, Russia	27/72	A fire in the cargo hold resulted in an emergency landing.
27 August 1992	CCCP-65058	Ivanovo, Russia	84/84	Crashed short of the runway while attempting ILS approach.
21 September 1993	CCCP-65893	Sukhumi, Georgia	27/27	In September 1993, three Transair Georgia aircraft were shot down in Abkhazia.
9 September 1994	CCCP-65976	Zhukovskydisambiguation needed, Russia	7/7	Mid-air collision with Tu-25M bomber during training flight
24 June 1995	CCCP-65617	Lagos,Nigeria	16/80	Overran runway in rainstorm
5 December 1995	4K-65703	Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan	44/82	A maintenance error led to a double engine failure when the aircraft was taking off, causing the crash.
3 September 1997	VN-A120	Phnom Penh, Cambodia	65/66	Vietnam Airlines Flight 815 descended below its approach path on a non-precision approach. Despite warnings from the other crew members that the craft was too low, the captain continued the approach, resulting in the crash.
24 August 2004	RA-65080	Buchalki, Russia	44/44	Forty-one minutes after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, the aircraft disappeared from radar. Witnesses reported seeing an explosion in the sky, and wreckage was located shortly thereafter. Later investigation revealed that the aircraft had been destroyed by terrorist bomber, along with Tu-154 airliner on the same day.
17 March 2007	RA-65021	Samara, Russia	6/57	A UTair Tu-134 crashed about 400 metres short of the runway in poor weather due to air traffic control error. The aircraft then bounced and inverted.
20 June 2011	RA-65691	Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia	47/52	After technical problems trying to land in heavy fog, and unable to reach Petrozavodsk Airport, RusAir Flight 9605 tried to land on a road 2 km from the airport at 1955 UTC (2355 MSD). The plane flipped and caught fire as it struck the ground. There is speculation that the pilot may have mistaken the motorway for the runway
28 December 2011	EX-020	Osh, Kyrgyzstan	0/79	This plane belonged to the Kyrgyzstan Air Company. A hard landing in marginal weather conditions led one wing to shear off. The aircraft went off the runway where it turned over on one of its sides. A fire then started with no casualties.

Source: Aircraft Accident Database

Specifications (Tu-134A)

Data from OAO Tupolev

General characteristics

• Crew: 3–5 + 3–4 flight attendants
• Capacity: 72–84 passengers
• Payload: 8,200 kg (18,075 lb)
• Length: 37.10 m (121 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan: 29.00 m (95 ft 1 in)
• Height: 9.02 m (29 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 127.3 m² (1,370.24 ft²)
• Empty weight: 27,960 kg (61,640 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: 47,600 kg (104,940 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Soloviev D-30-II turbofans, 66.68 kN (14,990 lbf) each
• Fuselage diameter: 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)
• Fuel capacity: 13,200 l (2,900 imp gal; 3,500 US gal)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 950 km/h (485 kn, 559 mph)
• Cruise speed: 850–900 km/h (405 kn, 466 mph)
• Range: 1,900–3,000 km (1,025 nmi, 1,180 mi)
• Ferry range: 3,200 km(1,890 nmi, 2,175 mi)
• Service ceiling: 12,100 m (39,040 ft)

See also

• BAC One-Eleven
• Fokker F28 Fellowship
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9
• List of airliners