The USSR board 75559 stood on the runway of the Pulkovo airport. It was a warm April evening in 1974. Passengers have already taken their seats and some of them have already fastened their seat belts. Most of the cadets of military schools and students were flying. They flew for a short vacation. Among them was a young couple. He was an engineer for the construction of bridges and tunnels Anatoly Ksyushinsky and his young wife Natalia. They flew for family reasons. Natalia was worried about her one-year-old daughter Matilda and was visibly nervous, "well, how she now with her grandmother is? Whole four days!"
"Not four, but three," Anatoly answered her, "I already said, it will be difficult for a one-year-old child to fly a flight. I myself get tired of the flights. And we do not have time for the train. Only three days we will not be. On May Day, we will be home."
The crew of the IL-18 also prepared for take-off and has already taken its places.
"Nikolai, why did the crew from Krasnodar refuse to fly back?" asked the second pilot of the aircraft.
"Eugene, they said there was a vibration of the fourth engine, but after that the board passed the test, no faults were found. I think they are just tired," said the commander of the ship Danilov Nikolai Valerianovich.
"Perhaps, Nikolay. We are a spare crew and this is our job. In vain they called them cowardly pilots."
"I agree that when we turned the board last month after the fire detector worked, we were also called cowardly pilots."
"I remember it was a false alarm."
"Well, Eugene, are we ready for takeoff?"
"Yes, Nicholas."
"Well, we are waiting for the command dispatcher."
"Board 75559, do you hear?"
"The tower, Board 75559, we hear perfectly."
"Board 75559, wind north-west 320°, wind speed 7 meters per second, visibility 20 kilometers, take off is permitted."
A minute later, the stewardess entered the cabin and announced by a loudspeaker – you are welcomed by the crew of the Leningrad Unified Air Squadron and the commander of the ship Danilov Nikolai Valerianovich aboard the IL-18. Please put up the backrests of armchairs in a vertical position and fasten your seat belts.
After a while, the plane began to take off on the runway and pulled away from the ground. Rising to the altitude, the passengers relaxed. Some of them unfastened their seat belts.
"The tower, Board 75559, took off," Danilov said to the ground.
"Board 75559, I pass the conditions of exit from the airport zone."
Conditions were accepted by the crew, and after two and a half minutes IL-18 performed the first turn.
"The tower, Board 75559, the lamps of ‘fourth engine fire’ panel turned on, a dangerous vibration," reported Danilov unexpectedly.
"Board 75559, make a landing at the nearest military airfield Gorelovo."
"Tower, Board 75559, we return to Pulkovo. Provide a fire truck.
After a while, the voice of the dispatcher came."
"Flight 75559, the approach conditions for Pulkovo landing at the magnetic course of 279°, line 28. The firefighting calculations arrived."
"Tower, Board 75559, the fire was confirmed. The fourth engine in the weathervane is on fire."
"Board 75559, make a landing at the nearest aerodrome. Now this is the airfield of Pushkino!"
"Tower, Board 75559, I will carry out the scheme approach at Pulkovo. Firemen are waiting for us! There are no firefighting calculations in Pushkino."
Danilov already had had a severe reprimand and he was scolded by his superiors twice from executing a quick landing with violations. Other pilots even sometimes called him a coward, and this he perceived quite painfully. This time, Danilov decided to land in accordance with the instructions on the mandatory scheme. The plane quickly approached its landing strip and behind it stretched a huge plume of smoke.
