Pilot Let His Kids Take Control of Plane Before Crash Killed All Onboard

It’s one of the most horrifying aviation stories ever recorded — a father’s fatal decision to let his children “try flying the plane,” ending with a blood-chilling scream and a fireball in the mountains.

On March 23, 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593 was supposed to be a routine trip from Moscow to Hong Kong. But somewhere over Siberia, pride, excitement, and one heartbreaking mistake turned the cockpit into a death trap.

Captain Yaroslav Kudrinsky, a respected 39-year-old pilot, had brought along his two kids — 12-year-old Yana and 16-year-old Edgar — on what was meant to be their first glamorous international adventure. When the jet reached cruising altitude and the passengers drifted to sleep, he decided to give them a thrill they’d never forget: a few moments in the captain’s seat.

At first, it was innocent. Yana sat up front, grinning as her dad pretended to let her “fly.” The autopilot handled everything. But when Edgar took over, that illusion became deadly real.

Excited, the teen pulled on the control column — hard. That single motion silently disconnected the autopilot. For the first time, the boy was actually flying the plane… and no one noticed.

A warning light blinked on. Nobody reacted. Then came the words that still haunt aviation experts to this day. Kudrinsky shouted, frantic and terrified:
“Eldar, get away! You see the danger, don’t you? Go away, go away!”

Seconds later, the 200-ton Airbus A310 lurched sideways, rolling to a terrifying 90-degree bank. The engines screamed. The co-pilot begged for “full power,” but it was too late.

The aircraft spiraled uncontrollably toward the Kuznetsk Alatau mountains at 160 miles per hour. In two and a half minutes, the jet tore into the earth — killing all 75 people on board, including Kudrinsky’s two children.

At first, Aeroflot tried to cover it up, denying that passengers — let alone kids — had been in the cockpit. But when the black box recordings surfaced, the truth was undeniable: a father’s desperate attempt to give his children an unforgettable moment had cost them — and everyone else on board — their lives.