On December 21, 1971, a BGA Balkan Il-18 plane crashed during takeoff from Sofia Airport – 30 people died, including pop singer Pasha Hristova.
Singers Maria Neykova, Boris Godzhunov and Yanka Rupkina survived.
The cause of the plane crash has not been officially announced.
According to an unofficial version, the cause was a technical malfunction of the control devices of the plane, which had been repaired – the aileron cables were incorrectly connected to the pilot's rudder and during the turn that the pilot was trying to make to the right, the plane tilted sharply to the left, causing the left wing to hit the runway. Due to the loss of balance, the plane tilted to the right and the right wing hit the runway and broke off from the impact, causing the plane to crash into the runway.
Together with the "Sofia" orchestra, Maria Neykova, Boris Gudzhunov, the "Aura" folklore ensemble and the folk singer Yanka Rupkina, Pasha Hristova is to leave for the Days of Bulgarian Culture in Algeria. The plane she is traveling on is an Il-18, which has just come out of repair of the equipment for controlling the horizontal position of the plane — the cables that control the ailerons — moving parts at the ends of the wings, which are used to correct the horizontal position of the aircraft. The repair does not seem to have been carried out correctly. When the machine picks up speed for takeoff and lifts off the runway, a strong crosswind appears, which tilts it to one side.
The investigation conducted immediately after the incident concluded that
the aileron cables were incorrectly connected.
Instead of correcting the plane's position in the horizontal plane, parrying the force of the wind, the pilot's command increased the plane's pitch due to the reverse connection of the ailerons. When the wing hit the runway, the plane's fuselage broke in two and the entire plane burst into flames, and one engine broke off. Of the 73 people on board, 28 died. Some of the passengers in the rear of the plane were rescued: Boris Gudzhunov — with broken limbs, Yanka Rupkina — with minor burns.
On December 23, 1971, Pasha Hristova was sent by numerous admirers to the Ritual Hall of the Central Sofia Cemetery. She was buried in the Catholic plot.
Meanwhile, the entire New Year's program was filmed with the active participation of the singer — just a few days before the tragedy, the whole country mournfully watched the cheerful participation of Pasha Hristova.
Who is Pasha Hristova?
Pop singer Pasha Hristova was born on July 16, 1946.
Her real name is Parashkeva Hristova Stefanova, but in society she remains known by her stage name Pasha.
After graduating from school, she worked for several years at the Electric Car Institute. Life coincidentally brought her to meet the composer Ivan Staykov, who included her in his course. She graduated in 1966 and at the age of 20 released her first song - "The Stork Has Arrived Again" with "Studio 5".
After graduating from the School for Pop Singers, in 1966 She joined the Ensemble of Construction Troops as a soloist. Since 1968 she has been a soloist in the "Sofia" orchestra. In her short, barely five-year career, she has recorded over 40 songs for the Bulgarian National Radio and a total of 60 for the radio, television and "Balkanton" fund.
Among her most famous songs are: "A Bulgarian Rose", "Yavorova Prolet", "Povej, vetre", "Neka tozi mig spre", "Moreto se zavera", "Pet chasa", "Sreshta v nedelja", "Stay" and others. At the Festival for Funny Song in Sochi, USSR, she won a gold medal (1967).
At the festival "Golden Orpheus" in 1970, she was awarded the grand prize for the song "Blow, Wind" and first prize for the song "A Bulgarian Rose".