LOT5055 - Poland's Worst Crash
Engineered For Death
May 9, 1987
On a spring morning outside Warsaw, Poland, LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 took off on what was supposed to be a routine transatlantic journey to New York. But just minutes after departure, a hidden mechanical defect turned the aircraft into a fire-engulfed, crippled machine — ending in the deadliest air disaster in Polish history.
In this article, we uncover the full story of LOT Flight 5055 — a tale of catastrophic failure, heroic decision-making, and the painful legacy of a preventable tragedy.
The Flight
Flight 5055 departed Warsaw Okęcie Airport at 10:17 a.m. The aircraft was a four-engine Ilyushin Il-62M named Tadeusz Kościuszko, relatively new, having accumulated less than 7,000 flight hours. Onboard were 172 passengers and 11 crew members, including an instructor engineer overseeing a training session.
Shortly after takeoff, the crew was instructed to climb to cruising altitude. But around 10:41 a.m., as the aircraft was over the town of Warlubie, a series of loud bangs and vibrations shook the plane. The left engines — numbers 1 and 2 — had failed, and a fire was spreading. Cabin pressure rapidly dropped. The crew declared an emergency and began turning back to Warsaw.
The Emergency
Although elevator controls were lost, the trim system still functioned, allowing limited control of pitch. Fire indicators suggested that the engine fires had been extinguished. However, fuel dumping was only partially successful due to electrical and valve issues. With the aircraft now losing altitude on only two functioning engines, the crew requested a diversion to the closer Modlin Airbase. But unclear weather conditions and the need for better facilities led them to continue toward Okęcie Airport.
As they prepared for an emergency landing, a new fire warning appeared — this time indicating fire in the rear fuselage. The situation deteriorated. The aircraft was now severely compromised: full of fuel, heavy, hard to maneuver, and carrying a spreading cabin fire. The final moments saw the plane make a sharp left turn in an attempt to align with the runway, but it became uncontrollable.
At 11:12 a.m., Flight 5055 crashed into the Kabaty Woods, just 6 kilometers from the runway. The impact and fire destroyed the aircraft. All 183 onboard were killed.
The Cause
Investigators determined that a manufacturing defect in engine number 2 was to blame. A critical roller bearing inside the engine was found to have only 13 rollers instead of the required 26 — a flaw likely due to poor quality control in the Soviet manufacturing process. This led to increased friction, overheating, and eventual disintegration of the engine’s low-pressure turbine.
Shrapnel from the failed turbine ruptured the fuselage, damaged flight control linkages, and ignited a fire in the rear cargo area. Contributing factors included poor fireproofing in the aircraft's tail section and the use of flammable materials in the cargo compartment.
Legacy
The crash of Flight 5055 remains the deadliest involving an Ilyushin Il-62 and one of the worst aviation disasters of the 1980s. It exposed critical issues in Soviet-era aircraft manufacturing and underscored the dangers of inadequate quality assurance.
In Poland, the tragedy is remembered as the Kabaty Woods Disaster. Streets have been named after the captain, and a monument now stands at the crash site in honor of the victims. The final recorded words of the flight engineer, captured on the cockpit voice recorder, have since become etched in Polish memory:
"Dobranoc! Do widzenia! Cześć! Giniemy!"
"Good night! Goodbye! Bye! We are dying!"
LOT Flight 5055 is not just a story of mechanical failure — it’s a story of bravery, system failure, and the haunting cost of corners cut behind the scenes.
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