The ill-fated flight, en route from Moscow to Hong Kong, was staffed by a highly experienced crew: Captain Andrew Viktorovich Danilov, First Officer Igor Vasilyevich Piskaryov, and Relief Captain Yaroslav Vladimirovich Kudrinsky.<\/p>\n
Together, the trio had thousands of hours of flight experience.<\/p>\n However, even their expertise could not counter the fatal consequences of a costly decision. Flight 593 was special for Relief Captain Kudrinsky as it marked the first international trip for his children, Yana, 13, and Eldar, 15. Hoping to make the occasion memorable, Kudrinsky invited his children into the cockpit to witness his work.<\/p>\n Though against airline regulations, the crew believed it was safe to allow the children to sit at the controls since the autopilot was engaged. At approximately 12:43AM, Yana took her father\u2019s seat, pretending to \u201cfly\u201d the plane. Minutes later, her brother Eldar replaced her, manipulating the controls to simulate flying. However, at 12:54AM, the situation turned dire.<\/p>\n Eldar\u2019s inputs to the control stick \u2013 lasting over 30 seconds with forces of up to 10 kilograms \u2013 overrode the autopilot\u2019s commands, shifting the aircraft into manual control. A small indicator light flashed to warn the crew, but the subtle signal went unnoticed.<\/p>\n With the autopilot disengaged, the aircraft began to bank. The angle of the wings disrupted its stability, and the plane started losing altitude.<\/p>\n Realizing the danger, Captain Kudrinsky acted swiftly to remove his son from the cockpit seat, shouting: \u201cEldar, get away. Go to the back, go to the back Eldar! You see the danger don\u2019t you? Go away, go away Eldar! Go away, go away. I tell you to go away!\u201d<\/p>\n Despite their efforts to regain control, the pilots inadvertently overcorrected, sending the aircraft into a steep climb. This led to a stall and a subsequent spin, from which recovery proved impossible.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.blog.ontime.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-1242022176-750x510.jpeg\")