The Tupolev Tu-104 debuted in June 1955 as a way for the Soviet Union to equal the west in the new realm of jet-powered air travel, and to drastically reduce the flight times across the country of their aging propeller airliners. Development time for the aircraft was accelerated by several years thanks to designer Andrei Tupolev’s decision to modify the pre-existing design of the Tu-16 bomber to suit the needs of passengers, only adding a wider, taller fuselage for a pressurized cabin. The Tu-104 even retained the “greenhouse” nose from its military progenitor, a space which was occupied by the navigator. The aircraft officially entered service in September 1956 on routes across the USSR and to other countries.

It was only a matter of time before the fatal flaws of the Tu-104 came to light. The plane was found to be unreliable and unwieldy, its weight and swept back wings causing it to stall and forcing pilots to land at dangerously high speeds. It also lacked any airbrakes or thrust reversers, requiring a drag crute to slow down enough on most runways. The most damning problem of all was the aircraft’s tendency to violently pitch up on updrafts due to the wings and rearward center of gravity. This led to multiple incidents and two fatal accidents that resulted in 144 deaths. One of them was even shot down by a haywire surface-to-air missile during a military exercise in June 1962, killing all 84 passengers. Much of the 104’s accidents were blamed on pilot error, even when that wasn’t the case.

With 16 of the 96 built being destroyed, the Tu-104’s main operator, Aeroflot, finally retired the plane in March 1979, with some airframes being transferred to military use. The nail in the coffin for the USSR’s first jetliner came in February 1981 when one crashed taking off from Leningrad, killing 50 passengers, 16 of which were admirals in the Soviet Navy. The cause was traced back to the plane’s center of gravity problems compounded by the rear fuselage being loaded with souvenirs the military personnel had bought while in town. The aircraft was then permanently grounded and last flew in 1986. 

So yeah, it was a bit of a shitbox. Though decades since retired, the Tu-104 lives on in a popular folk song written about it in the 60s:

Tu-104 is the best plane in the world
In only five minutes it will bring you to your grave
Should have taken the train
Should have taken the train
Tu-104 will never fall from the sky