Russian Plane Goes Down in Samara

A fatal plane crash took place Saturday morning, March 17, 2007 in Moscow. The UTAir Tupolev TU-134 plane, carrying 56 passengers and 7 crew members was attempting a landing into the Volga River city of Samara's airport in the midst of thick fog. According to spokeswoman Irina Andrianova, the plane's wing made contact with the runway. The wing's contact triggered a snowball effect, literally causing the plane to break apart piece by piece. Another ministry spokesman, Viktor Beltsov, says it was unclear what caused the crash he referred to as a "hard landing".

The TU-143 was only produced from 1966-1984, but is still in heavy use in the former Soviet Union. The plane is a twin-engine nicknamed "Crusty" by NATO, and is an extremely loud plane (leading to its decreased use). The TU-134 made its first commercial flight in 1967, and was also the first Soviet airliner receive certification from the International Civil Aviation Organization. As of last August, there were only 277 of the original 852 TU-134s still in service, with the largest operator being Aeroflot.

Saturday's crash killed at least seven, and injured 51 (only two of the injured were crew members). Search and Rescue continues to search debris, and sent at least 6 passengers in critical condition to the hospital. The plane was in route from Surgut to Belgorod, with a layover in Samara. Authorities are investigating the crash, as some Russian media members are reporting that the plane's landing gear failed to engage causing the plane to land on its fuselage. There is also the possibility of pilot error, as investigators believed the plane touched down some 400 yards too soon (placing the landing before the runway began).

Relatives of those on board are complaining that they have not been given adequate information about survivors or victims of the morning crash. A woman waiting for news said that "There was no information at all. They just gave us the telephone of the local government office in Tyumen and that of the police at the airport. There's no numbers for the hospital or anything."