Russian Plane Makes 'Miraculous' Crash-Landing in Cornfield After Collision With Flock of Gulls, 23 Passengers Injured
In a miraculous landing, the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Moscow with its engines off and landing gear retracted.
Moscow, August 15: An alert pilot of Russia-based Ural Airlines averted a major plane mishap on Thursday when their aircraft was hit by a flock of gulls. In a miraculous landing, the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Moscow with its engines off and landing gear retracted, according to reports. 23 people, including nine children, were injured in the incident.
The Ural Airlines' plane was travelling to Simferopol in Crimea when it hit the flock of gulls shortly after take-off. The aircraft was carrying 226 passengers and a crew of seven from Moscow's Zhukovsky airport. The plane's both engines went off as some of the birds were sucked into its engines, according to the airlines' general director, Sergei Skuratov. Russian Plane Crash: 41 Dead After Passenger Aircraft on Fire Makes Emergency Crash-Landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
Damir Yusupov, the pilot pf the plane then decided to make an emergency landing. Engines turned off, the crew carried out the landing ... one kilometre away from the runway," TASS state news agency quoted Skuratov as saying. "The plane landed in a cornfield, with its engines off and landing gear retracted," the Rosaviatsia air transport agency said in a statement. Boeing 737 With 136 Passengers On Board Falls Into River in Jacksonville, Florida After It Skids Runway.
An unnamed passenger told state TV the plane started to shake violently after take-off. "Five seconds later, the lights on the right side of the plane started flashing and there was a smell of burning. Then we landed and everyone ran away," he said. State media has dubbed the landing the "miracle over Ramensk".
Russian health authorities said 23 people, including five children, have been hospitalized with injuries. Ural Airlines lauded the crew for its professionalism in arranging the evacuation.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 15, 2019 03:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).