LOT Polish Airlines Flight 691

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 691
A LOT Antonov An-24, similar to the one involved
Accident
Date26 March 1981 (1981-03-26)
SummaryControlled flight into terrain during approach due to pilot error
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAntonov An-24V
OperatorLOT Polish Airlines
RegistrationSP-LTU
Flight originOkęcie Airport, Warsaw, Poland
DestinationSłupsk-Redzikowo Airport, Słupsk, Poland
Occupants51
Passengers47
Crew4
Fatalities1
Injuries19
Survivors50

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 691 was a domestic passenger flight in Poland from Warsaw to Słupsk. On 26 March 1981, the Antonov An-24 clipped trees and crashed during the final approach to Słupsk-Redzikowo Airport, killing one passenger and injuring 19 people of the 51 on board.[1][2]

Accident

As the crew maintained radio communication with Słupsk-Redzikowo Airport, they were informed that the plane was on the glide path - at an altitude of 200 meters (660 feet). However, the crew realized they were below the minimun altitude and incresed the engines' power, but the plane had already clipped some trees[3], tearing off part of its right wing. Less than a minute later, 2,000 meters from the beginning of runway, the plane struck the ground. The plane rolled to the right side, the right landing gear hit the ground and flipped over.[4]

A passenger named Krzysztof Szerszenowicz died in the crash.[4] He was trapped in his seat and could not be extricated without specialized equipment, and he died in the flames.[3] 24 people left the crash site without seeking medical attention. The other 26 victims went to hospitals. Of those, 11 required extended hospital treatment, including one crew member.[4]

Investigation

The cause of the plane crash was concluded to be pilot error, as he had disabled the pressure altimeter which indicated that the plane was too low. This caused the crew to be unaware that they were too low, leading to the subsequent crash.[3][4][5]

The accident was featured in the 2004 Polish documentary series Nieznane katastrofy in the episode "Lot 691".[3][6]

References

  1. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Antonov An-24V SP-LTU, Thursday 26 March 1981". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  2. ↑ "Rocznica katastrofy lotniczej pod Słupskiem. Śledztwo nie zostało ukończone". Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Redakcja (2021-03-28). "Katastrofa lotnicza pod Słupskiem. Minęła 40. rocznica tego wypadku". Głos Pomorza (in Polish). Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Tragedy An-24 SP-LTU on 1988-03-26 – Polot". 2009-05-27. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  5. ↑ "Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Słupsk: 1 killed | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  6. ↑ "Nieznane katastrofy". Telemagazyn (in Polish). Retrieved 2026-08-24.
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