Aeroflot Flight 593 crashed on its way from Moscow to Hong Kong, killing all 70 people on board. The tragedy was set in motion when relief pilot Yaroslav Kudrinsky allowed his children into the cockpit. Yana, 12, and Eldar, 16, weren’t just visiting—they interacted with the plane’s controls.
“Don’t run there, or they’ll fire us,” Yaroslav told Yana, but moments later, Eldar accidentally disengaged the autopilot. Though it was off for only about 30 seconds, it caused the Airbus A310 to veer off course.
“What happened?” Eldar asked as the aircraft began tilting dangerously. The pilots noticed the error, but the situation was already spiraling out of control. The plane entered a stall, and the crew fought to stabilize it—but the damage had been done.
