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Subscribe to RSSA jet breaks into pieces after sliding off the runway at a Moscow airport. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
MOSCOW -- A Russian airliner split into pieces after it slid off the runway and crashed onto a highway outside Moscow on Saturday, killing at least four of the 12 crew on board and leaving smoking chunks of fuselage on the icy road.
Television footage showed the Tupolev 204 jet, broken into pieces, with smoke billowing from the tail end and the cockpit broken clean off the front.
A man was thrown from the plane as it rammed into the barrier of the highway outside Vnukovo airport, one witness told the TV channel Rossiya-24.
Another witness described pulling other people from the wreckage.
"The plane split into three pieces," Yelena Krylova, chief spokeswoman for the airport, said in televised comments.
An Emergency Services spokesman said four people died of injuries after the crash and four others were in hospital. Police said 12 crew members were on board, but no passengers.
"The plane went off the runway, broke through the barrier and caught fire," police spokesman Gennady Bogachyov said.
The mid-range Tu-204 was operated by the Russian airline Red Wings and was traveling from the Czech Republic, Krylova said.
Rubble from the crash was scattered across the highway and the plane's wings were torn from the fuselage, witnesses said.
Alexander Usoltsev / AP
Rescuers work at the site of the plane crash at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Saturday.
"We saw how the plane skidded off the runway ... The nose, where business class is, broke off and a man fell out," said a witness, who gave his name as Alexei. "We helped him get into a mini-bus to take him to the hospital."
Another witness described pulling four people from the wreckage when he arrived at the scene before emergency service workers. "We could not get the pilot out of the cockpit but we saw a lot of blood," he told Rossiya-24.
Russian investigators said preliminary findings pointed to pilot error as the cause of the crash.
Russia and other former Soviet republics had some of the world's worst air-traffic safety records last year, with a total accident rate almost three times the world average, the International Air Transport Association said.
A passenger jet crashed and burst into flames after takeoff in Siberia in April, killing 31 people, and an airliner slammed into a riverbank in September 2011, wiping out the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team in a crash that killed 44 people.
The Russian-built Tu-204, which is comparable in size to a Boeing 757 or Airbus A321, is a Soviet-era design that was produced in the mid-1990s but is no longer being made. There have no major accidents previously reported with Tu-204s.
The crash during peak holiday travel ahead of Russia's New Year's vacation, which runs from Sunday through Jan. 9, cast a spotlight on Russia's poor air-safety record despite President Vladimir Putin's calls to improve controls.
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Even Walmart stays clear of Russia. To many low lifers.
A typical example of commie workmanship and quality control. Good to see that garbage country is still meeting expectations I have for a socialist dictatorship.
looks like it was tanked up with too much vodka !!!
The plane was filled with 12 crew members only... RIP the 4 dead...How sad for their family's.
Aeroflot fans, all. The time I spent in China and Russia, we did quite a bit of traveling, but never took one flight. It was trains, boats and rarely buses, all the way. I know, ground/water transport in these lesser developed places is higher risk than similar travel in more civilized countries. But by choosing seating, times of travel, and in general, keeping your safety wits about you, theoretically, you can have some impact on your survivability, and I'm still here to lend weight to this thinking, after a few crashes, where there were fatalities. But airplanes, when they crash, tend to be less forgiving. CAC and Aeroflot had pretty scarey safety records then (mid 90's); Russian carriers still apparently do. Perhaps the carriers in the PRC are now safer. I bet there are plenty of sober and conscientious airline professionals in former east block states. But these countries, especially Russia, continue to struggle with high rates of family violence, substance abuse, corruption, etc. Recalling my college courses in programming-GIGO-garbage in, garbage out. Statistically, this probably has had a negative impact on adoptions as well. Eta pravda. Aa.
This is the result of Chinese Counterfeit Aircraft Parts! Yes, it is easier for Russian crooked politicians and aviation leaders to put the blame on the poor pilot but the truth may be in either Russian crooked politicians tried to scam some money off the aircraft composition by using counterfeit parts or they unknowingly got Chinese counterfeit parts that did not work properly (no matter how hard the pilot tried). The victims are the pilots and any passengers. The wrongdoers are the counterfeiters and the Russian crooked politicians and crooked aviation leaders.
Probably those "Made In America" parts. Always trying to put the blame on the Chinese, jealous Americans. LMAO
Must have been made by a 3d printer. LMAO
I have 23 years of aviation and security experience. Believe what I said above.
I have no doubt, I remember when China got caught stamping grade 5 bolts as grade 8, had to start checking where all my high performance engine and suspension bolts were made, still do.
Maybe the pilots kid was at the controls??
As a Boeing employee of 35 years I had the opportunity to evaluate several Russian built aircraft. Though they use very different design standards their aircraft are generally rugged and quite reliable if properly maintained. Some of their fighter aircraft are as good aerodynamically or better in some respects as ours. The major problem with Russian aviation is very poor air traffic control, poorly trained pilots and little or no ground maintenance until something is broken.
Here we go loop da loo......here we go loop da la.
Probably made in Russia or China. I wonder how long it will be before Our Planes are made in China.
Typical American aren't ya "Tarzan7" jealous of China. But the name fits because most Americans are the jungle type. LMAO
They already are made in China along with most aircraft parts.
The Rusky airplanes run on Jet A but the pilots run on vodka. Or wodka as they say.
I have been on a couple of Russian Airliners. I took a flight from Japan to Russia. When I got on the plane, the Stewardesses were friendly and dressed professionally but it smelled like they carried livestock on it and I got stung by a bee on my back as I sat in my chair. Once we got to our to or flight level ice started to form on the interior walls which was a bit unnerving. We landed on a airstrip in Russia that was not paved. it was muddy and the landing was pretty rough. It was an experience I will never forget. This was in the late 90s shortly after the cold war ended.
@jamesvincent05:
After reading several of your posts on this thread, I can only come to the conclusion that you are one sad excuse for a human being. Happy New Year, douchenozzle.
How terrible. It just ran off the runway and broke apart like that? What would have happened if it had become airborne? YIKES!!
Unlike our maintenance system in the U.S., where things have definite times alloted for maintenance, repair, and replacements, Russia uses the "IRAN" system (Inspect And Repair As Necessary).
It's not as good because it leaves the judgement up to mechanics and inspectors who work for airline companies that will make more if they spend less on those critical needs.
Russia refuses to buy Boeing aircraft because of their arrogance, they never got over losing the cold war an imploding. They lost all their satellite countries and all they have now is gas and oil money to rebuild their armed forces. We dumped tons of money to help them and they still refuse to do anything in good sense with US. Putin continue to use US as a scapegoat for their failure and corruption and he is just nurturing a sense of nationalism to stay in power. They are no longer a superpower but their nuclear weapons makes them dangerous because they will always hold a grudge against US. Keep them in sight. I would limit exchanges of technology with them specially in the space program. I hope Space X takes charge and starts to develop our own independent space program away from the ISS.
What you are saying is not true, Aeroflot owns and leases numerous Boeings, B737NG,
B767 and B777, in addition they have airbuses. The TU204 is a copy of B757.
Majorityof the commercial aircrafts in Russia are made outside the country. Putin is
pushing very hard on modernizing the aviation industry in Russia.
The issues in Russia and other east block countries are pilot training and there
lack of. In 2010 Russian aviation basically copied the US Federal Aviation
Administration regulation (CFR 14 FAR 91 and 121) and some maintenance
regulation.
Anatoly....pass me more Vodka !!!
In Russian it's pronounced, "Whatka"...
I have had the Real Stoli in Russia and I can tell you why many of them are Alcoholics. The Stoli in Russia is very smooth. the crap they sell in the states is nothing like it.
everything they sell here is crap.
ted,
"I have had the Real Stoli in Russia and I can tell you why many of them are Alcoholics."
Yes, that's very true. Russia has a long tradition of alcoholism; that and wife beating. Those things seem to be in their blood. I'm Russian on my mother's side, and my grandpa was guilty of both.
The best honor we can give the already missed crew is impart intent to prevent future incidents and investigate evidence of black box reading. I trust not one of the crew was bickering with another.
I speak as a former Salt Lake City airport security officer - one who observes almost all actions of all activity. I have witnessed more than once, inproprieties at all levels of security - inlcuding health and safety, both prevention and remediation. Sad part is, my observation remains unattended to to this day. Logical methodology is a missing component in the very conditions that most warrants it. Critical (most deadly) level of human inadequacy as is shown throughout this comment section toward compassion for life over that of design and mechanical failure of an inanimate object.
1Joy. Exactly correct. No matter the job big or small, there is No desire to be efficient. People who point them out are ignored as either trouble makers or stupid. So they bully and treat you disrepectfully and if you do not leave, they fire you instead of working as a team like they claim to adhere to even in a government agency. Especially, in this administration of do nothings, excessive spending, no accountability no matter the office, terrorizing citizens by stupid demands, MURDER, foolish and stupid behavior from the TOP, OBAMA, down .... They want our Taxes, because they could not pay from their own income to live the luxurious style, so they can spend, spend, spend on themselves ... That Is why they want Our Money and Not to help our economy. No One in Obama's administration has any commonsense. Everything Obama, Reid, Pelosi and so on say with forked-tongue twist the words to tickle their lovers ears and they are too blind to hear it. They are greedy. They want to work together? Hardly. Who is not working together, them. Not One thing have they done for this Country but to divide and destroy. Lie after lie. They Said that They would work together .... listen to them .... I am Repulsed by them. They Are Wise in their Own Eyes, but I see evil intent. They are have Shaming Our Country.
Linda, please save your rants for the next four years. Terrorizing citizens? Don't like it now then effing leave. How do you take a plane crash in Russia and equate it to Democrats? Please leave and take your bitching a$$ to someplace that will take you!
Conrad, if Linda does leave, please go with her.
Putin was the pilot and he was getting smack from Miss Russia while landing....Wow! what a climax
What do you expect from a country of socialism and marxism, who lack of care of their people, and do not encourage free enterprize or capitalism or freedom. Of course the Russian government is so faultless and transparent, why not blame the pilot who is deceased, and they will probably persecute the family now. And this is what you 99%'ers want, a country like that .... what idiots. They will cover it all up just Obama does here, whether it is things he has done to our Country's shame or has not done like Benghazi and so on .... irresponsible, ignorant, puffed up leader. I am not surprised this happened in Russia and pray for the friends and families.
IT WAS A PLANE CRASH. WTF does Putin and his politics have to do with it? Any little thing so your type can bash Obama. Why? Are we going to continue to complain about 4 dead Americans who died doing their job in Libya? Why not the tears when over 4,000 died in Iraq? No crying from you when Enron happened either? Did Bush cover that up? GTFOH! I hate your type. I'm not a liberal or conservative either. I'm a FREE thinker.
ConradC
WTF ... Just like when Bush was in office and accused of murder and enriching his oil company buddies.
Everything is about politics whether you like it or not, always has been, and long before you were an erection in your daddy's pants.
If you can't handle it, take up crocheting or stamp collecting, and please stop whining.
CondradC:
No dude, you are clearly a liberal Obama appologist and like all Obama appologists you are certainly not a "free thinker!"
You are right Rob........And it has a lot to do with it.
And that is the problem with a lot of things we are dealing with in our world. So many people cannot see the forest for the trees. American education of the last 30 years has left us with a lot of very shallow thinkers...not free thinkers.
opps!
As
an Airline Instructor Pilot and have flown and trained pilots in Russia I can
give you all some facts behind Russian Aviation. The majority of accidents in
Russia are due to pilot judgment. The pressure from employers forces the pilots
in Russia and other east block countries to ignore safety and make very poor
decisions that affect safety. I have trained some of the top pilots in Russia
and I see the same thing over and over again. A prime example is the Polish
accident that killed the Prime Minister of Poland.
The
pilots and operators in the east block and some South American Operators
totally lack the general educational level and skillset that US pilots have.
The basic aeronautical understanding does not exist in these countries. I
personally never set my foot as a passenger in an airplane piloted by an east
block or South American pilot.