Seconds of Silence: How a Turbine Shredded Flight 007

Aviation Survival Stories · Jul 22, 2026 · 18m

Seconds of Silence: How a Turbine Shredded Flight 007

A sudden, fatal chain began with a single turbine fragment that severed power and silenced the recorders twenty-six seconds before impact; the Il-62 hit an ice-covered moat less than one kilometre from the runway at 11:14:35 on March 14, 1980. How did engine repairs, extended overhaul intervals and routine acceptance of vibration leave a transatlantic airliner with a part that would shred its neighbour - and bury the crews' last moments in silence?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events on the aircraft and the maintenance…