Author Topic: Russia airliner with 171 aboard crashes (Read 737 times)

Russian · « **on:** August 22, 2006, 11:07:02 AM »

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/22/russia.crash/index.html

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At least 30 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Donetsk in a hard-to-reach area, the Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry told CNN.

CNN's Matthew Chance, quoting Ukraine officials, said the plane had 160 passengers -- including six children -- and 11 crew members on board.

The officials added that there was "no likelihood of any survivors," Chance said.

"The plane is on the ground and is ablaze," Ihor Krol, director of the ministry's press service, told the Russian news agency Interfax.

He said rescuers from the ministry, including fire brigades, were heading to the crash site.

Flight 612 was en route from the Black Sea resort town of Anapa to St. Petersburg.

Interfax said the Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft crashed shortly after 3:30 p.m. Moscow time (1130 GMT).

"Early reports say the plane crashed 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Donetsk," Irina Andrianovaa, a senior spokeswoman for the ministry, told Interfax.

"At 3:37 p.m. Moscow time the plane sent an SOS signal and at 3:39 it disappeared from radar screens," Andrianova said.

The emergency ministry said the plane's landing gear would not work when the pilot tried to make an emergency landing about 20 minutes into the flight. The plane was on fire when the pilot made a belly landing, officials said.

The ministry said investigators are looking into the possibility that the plane was hit by lightning.

Weather forecasters reported thunderstorms and lightning in the area at the time of the crash.
Plane is workhorse of Russian fleet

The plane belonged to Pulkovo airlines, which is based in St. Petersburg.

The three-engine Tu-154 is the workhorse of Russia's commercial fleet, carrying about half of all Russian air passengers.

It was designed as the Soviet counterpart to the Boeing 727 and the European-made Trident, but with the added ability to operate from short, rough runways. About 1,000 were produced.

Although a popular aircraft, it has had a checkered history and has been involved in at least 30 air disasters since it went into service in 1968.

The former Soviet air fleet has been plagued by chronic safety problems since the 1991 collapse of the country.

Experts have blamed poor maintenance, safety violations and cost-cutting for a high accident rate..

Nilsen · « **Reply #1 on:** August 22, 2006, 11:10:29 AM »

Was on the news here a few hours ago.. sad

Boroda · « **Reply #2 on:** August 22, 2006, 11:49:01 AM »

People said that Pulkovo airlines planes are perfectly maintained and are in exellent condition.

Guys from Donetsk said they had a severe thunderstorm there...

Bloody August again

Mickey1992 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 22, 2006, 11:51:39 AM »

~~RIP. So sad.~~

Ripsnort · « **Reply #4 on:** August 22, 2006, 11:59:08 AM »

Condolences. Shouldn't an aircraft be able to withstand a lightening strike? I know Boeing aircraft can....I've (unfortunately) experienced it first hand! Makes you want another drink....

Fishu · « **Reply #5 on:** August 22, 2006, 12:34:45 PM »

Some source says the problems began due to turbulence. Perhaps severe turbulence damaged fuel lines and the leak caught fire?
It came down in two minutes after S.O.S and the plane was flying above 30k ft, which could be an indication of a very bad fire onboard the plane. The engines are on the fuselage, so if a fuel line ruptured near the engine, it could have severed all control lines in the aft section of the plane, caused inability to pitch the plane and made it impossible for pilots to pull out from a dive. Either ways, they came down with a descent rate of more than 10,000ft per minute, which is way too steep.

NATEDOG · « **Reply #6 on:** August 22, 2006, 01:00:14 PM »

isn't that 3 Russian plane crashes this year?

Ripsnort · « **Reply #7 on:** August 22, 2006, 01:02:37 PM »

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Originally posted by NATEDOG
isn't that 3 Russian plane crashes this year?

Staga has been banned.

Bodhi · « **Reply #8 on:** August 22, 2006, 01:07:40 PM »

If there was a thunderstorm in the area, then any number of things could have happened beyond a fire. More likely, the plane lost controlled flight due to severe turbulence, and broke up after it went outside established flight parameters.

Boroda · « **Reply #9 on:** August 22, 2006, 01:14:43 PM »

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Originally posted by NATEDOG
isn't that 3 Russian plane crashes this year?

Third passenger plane crash. 2 Airbus, this one is a Tupolev. One of the Airbuses was in fact Armenian.

Rip, what do you mean - Staga got banned?! Really? For what?

Bodhi · « **Reply #10 on:** August 22, 2006, 01:39:46 PM »

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Originally posted by Boroda
Rip, what do you mean - Staga got banned?! Really? For what?

For being Staga.... you honestly had to ask that?