The Tu-154 is described as having an average ( or better than expected ) safety record considering its length of service and heavy use in demanding conditions where other airliners are unable to operate . On January 2 , 2011 , Russia 's Federal Transport Oversight Agency advised airlines to stop using remaining examples of the Tu-154 ( B variant ) until the fatal fire incident in Surgut had been investigated . Its operation in Iran ceased in February 2011 due to a number of crashes and incidents involving the type ( almost 9 % of all Tu-154 losses have occurred in Iran ) . This grounding compounded the effects of US embargo on civil aircraft parts , substantially decreasing the number of airworthy aircraft in the Iranian civil fleet . In 2010 there were two fatal losses of the Tu-154 due to pilot error and/or weather conditions ( a Polish presidential jet attempting a rural airfield landing in heavy fog , the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash , and a Russian-registered plane that suffered engine stall after a crew member accidentally de-activated a fuel transfer pump ) . Following these accidents , in March 2011 the Russian Federal Bureau of Aviation recommended a withdrawal of remaining Tu-154Ms from service . In December 2010 , Uzbekistan Airways also declared that it will cease to operate Tu-154s from 2011
fatal fire incident in Surgut
Kolavia Flight 348
Tupolev Tu-154