On March 23, 1994, tragedy struck Aeroflot Flight 593 when a father’s attempt to create a memorable moment for his children ended in disaster, killing all 75 passengers and crew. Relief Captain Yaroslav Kudrinsky allowed his children, Yana (13) and Eldar (15), into the cockpit during the flight from Moscow to Hong Kong. Although the autopilot was engaged, Eldar’s prolonged inputs on the controls unknowingly disengaged it, putting the plane into manual control.
The crew failed to notice the subtle warning light, and the aircraft began to lose stability. Despite desperate efforts to recover, the plane overcorrected and crashed into the Kuznetsk Alatau Mountains in Russia, killing everyone onboard. Aeroflot initially denied pilot error, but the incident remains a somber reminder of the risks of cockpit interference.
