Aircraft & Airport Related Incidents from around the world.

One dead after Canadian Snowbirds jet crashes into home

At least one person has died after an aerobatic Canadian air force jet crashed into a residential neighbourhood.

Another crew member was injured when the plane hit a house in the city of Kamloops, British Columbia.

One pilot was able to eject before the crash on Sunday, video showed.

The Snowbirds jet had been on a tour “to salute Canadians doing their part to fight the spread of Covid-19”, according to the team’s website.

The Snowbirds perform aerobatic stunts for the public, similar to Red Arrows in the UK or the US Blue Angels.

The crash happened on Sunday morning, shortly after the jet took off.

Rapid Response: Aircraft crash brings quick media and federal response

A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in Maryland, killing the pilot and damaging two homes

Dec 30, 2019

Just before 3 p.m. on a dreary and drizzly Dec. 29, 2019, the bucolic calm of the suburban Maryland neighborhood of Lanham was turned upside down in an instant.

A little over one air mile from the College Park Airport – the oldest continuously operating airport in the United States – a single-engine plane crashed into the densely populated residential neighborhood in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

 

Some of the information that had been initially shared with dispatchers turned out to be incorrect. The pilot was killed, but, amazingly, there were no other injuries. One house was on fire and another was damaged. A car that had been parked in a driveway and the plane were both fully involved in fire upon the arrival of units from first-due West Lanham Station 28.

Reports indicate that the plane flew through an attached carport and slammed into the car, bursting into flames and damaging the attached house. Debris and heat damage affected the close delta-side exposure residence. The debris field gives an indication as to the high velocity with which the plane struck the structure.

First-arriving units were confronted with a large contingent of residents in the streets, a large debris field, the pilot’s body in open view, and what appeared to be a significant fire in progress. There is a plethora of prior-to-fire department-arrival video showing small explosions from the car and/or plane as the fire consumed what was left.

The three fires (house, plane and car) were all contained rather quickly by first-arriving units, with the scene slowly deescalating throughout the afternoon.

The victim was quickly isolated and covered, due to being in plain view.

The county foam unit (from the College Park station) and the hazardous materials response team responded to assist with extinguishment, product containment and cleanup. Fortunately, no one was home at either residence affected.

Why it’s significant

Fire and EMS departments need to be prepared for all types of responses. This incident demonstrated the impact of training and preparedness on the timely and effective outcomes of a tragic set of circumstances. Most high-performing departments respond well to individual emergencies. When those incidents involve a burning plane, a separate burning and partially collapsed house, an exposed house smoking, and a burning car in the middle of a residential neighborhood, five miles outside of Washington, DC, the challenges are significant.

Kazakhstan plane crash: Bek Air plane comes down near Almaty airport

27 December 2019

The Bek Air plane was flying from Almaty – Kazakhstan’s largest city – to the capital Nur-Sultan when it smashed into a building just after take-off.

The Fokker 100 aircraft had 93 passengers and five crew members on board. Survivors described walking from the wreckage into the dark and snow.

Dozens are being treated in hospital. The cause of the crash is unclear.

A Reuters news agency reporter close to the scene said there was heavy fog at the time.

The interior ministry initially said 15 people had been killed, but it later revised the number of victims down to 12.

Kazakhstan’s aviation committee has suspended all Bek Air flights as well as those involving Fokker 100 aircraft pending the results of the investigation.

What’s known about the crash?

The Flightradar24 information website said the flight departed at 07:21 (01:21 GMT), and “the last signal was received in that same minute”.

The airport said the plane lost height at 07:22 before striking a concrete barrier and crashing into a two-storey building. There was no fire upon impact.

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Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said the plane’s tail had scraped the runway twice during take-off, leaving marks.

One survivor, businessman Aslan Nazaraliyev, told the BBC that the plane had begun vibrating violently. People screamed and the aircraft smashed into the ground.

He said part of the plane was crushed like “an aluminium can”. He and others managed to get out and helped fellow passengers to safety.

“It was ugly. It was dark. We were lighting with cell phone lights,” Mr Nazaraliyev said.

Another told news website Tengrinews she heard a “terrifying sound” before the plane started losing altitude.

“The plane was flying at a tilt. Everything was like in a movie: screaming, shouting, people crying,” she said.

What of the victims?

Mr Sklyar said that most of the passengers who died or suffered serious injuries were in the front part of the plane.

Eight people died at the scene, two while being treated at the airport and two in hospital, AFP news agency reports.

Some 67 people were injured in the accident, nine of them children, the health ministry said. Forty-nine were still in hospital on Friday evening, of whom eight people were said to be in a critical condition.

Most of those on board were Kazakh citizens although Chinese, Kyrgyz and Ukrainian nationals were reportedly among the injured.

The captain has been confirmed as one of the fatalities.

The editor of the Informburo.kz website said one of its journalists, 35-year-old Dana Kruglova, was killed while flying to see her parents for New Year.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport: Private plane overshoots runway

Flights were cancelled after a private plane came off the runway at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Four people were on board but no-one was hurt when the plane landed at about 06:00 GMT.

A source at Liverpool FC confirmed the private jet had flown from the United States and was carrying one of the club’s owners, Mike Gordon.

The airport tweeted at 23:20 to say that “normal operations have now resumed”.

More than 9,000 passengers had flights cancelled, delayed or transferred to Manchester Airport and many booked into hotels for the night.

Mr Gordon, who is the president of Fenway Sports Group, was on a flight from Bedford, Massachusetts, to Liverpool to attend a regular meeting at the club.

“He was not injured but would like to pass on his appreciation to the staff at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the emergency services for their amazing work,” the source said.

The airport – which has apologised to passengers – issued several updates, saying work to deal with the problems was continuing, before later confirming that normal operations had resumed.

Image Copyright @LPL_Airport @LPL_Airport

Report

A specialist removal team and firefighters had been struggling all day to remove the plane’s wheels, which became embedded in mud 59m (194ft) to the side of the runway.

They had been trying to dig out a track with the aim of dragging the plane out on to the runway.

Once the jet was removed, a runway inspection had to be carried out before the airport could reopen.

Liverpool Airport operations director Paul Staples earlier said the jet was too close to the landing strip to use the runway.

“We can’t compromise safety,” Mr Staples said, adding runways must have 75m of clear space.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating.

A spokeswoman for VistaJet added: “We are fully co-operating with the airport and relevant authorities.”

Passengers due to fly were advised to contact their airlines for further information.

Eric Henderson, from Preston, was due to travel to Amsterdam for work.

“Our flight was due to leave at 07:30. We noticed at ten to that the flight had been moved to 11:40,” he said.

“There was no explanation until we looked out of the large windows on the concourse and saw all the blue flashing lights.”

Steven and Kerry Grounds, from Warrington, were due to fly to Amsterdam to celebrate Kerry’s 40th birthday.

“I don’t think we will be going anywhere, so we’re going back home,” she said.

Three crew members and one passenger were on board the plane when it came off the runway after landing.

Flights arriving from Salzburg, where Liverpool FC played on Tuesday night, the Isle of Man and Dublin were diverted to Manchester, while planes from Belfast and Amsterdam were cancelled.

Liverpool FC flew back to the UK shortly after the match finished, the club has confirmed.

EasyJet earlier confirmed that six flights had been cancelled and four flights had been re-routed to Manchester.

“Customers on cancelled flights have been given the option of transferring their flight free of charge or receiving a refund,” the spokesperson said.

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Red Arrows pilot ‘fatigued’ before fatal RAF Valley crash

A Red Arrows pilot involved in a fatal crash was almost certainly fatigued and distracted, investigators have said.

The Service Inquiry Panel (SIP) found distraction may have directly influenced Flight Lt David Stark’s actions on 20 March 2018.

Kent-born Cpl Jonathan Bayliss, 41, died when a Hawk aircraft crashed on Anglesey.

Flight Lt Stark suffered non-life threatening injuries after ejecting from the plane.

He was later discharged from hospital.

The SIP report stated the jet departed from RAF Valley with the intention of simulating an engine failure, before flying to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

During the training manoeuvre, the plane stalled and crashed near the runway as it was flying too low to recover.

Flight Lt Stark was described by the panel as an experienced pilot who was familiar with the exercise.

The inquiry found he generally worked from 07:30 until 17:30 and his routine did not include “sufficient time for rest”, which was a contributory factor in the crash.

It noted he was distracted by an air traffic control call asking him to confirm the aircraft’s landing gear was down shortly before the accident.

The pilot’s actions make it “very likely” he was suffering from reduced situational awareness, the report said.

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The panel concluded: “At the critical moment of the sortie he may not have recognised the associated hazards as the situation developed.”

It added the pressures felt by Red Arrows pilots were “exacerbated by resource constraints” and the “shortfall” in engineering and air safety personnel could lead to a future incident.

The inquiry found Lt Stark ejected half a second before the crash “following the dramatic realisation that the aircraft would impact the ground”, and there was not enough time for him to properly warn the engineer.

Cpl Bayliss was born in Dartford, Kent, and worked at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit before joining the RAF in 2001.

Second World War plane makes ’emergency landing’ at Manchester Airport

The Second World War plane suffered an engine failure, according to reports

The BBMF Dakota in the air prior to its unplanned landing.

A second world war plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Manchester Airport.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Douglas Dakota aircraft was due for a fly-past over Warrington this afternoon.

But the pilot made an unplanned landing at Manchester Airport due to a fault with one of the engines.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport said the landing had not had an impact on operations.

“The aircraft diverted and landed at the airport,” an airport spokesman said.

“There was no impact.”

Fire engines were photographed on standby next the runway as the aircraft landed.

The pilot and crew were unhurt.

Air China plane catches fire, sustains extensive damage as passengers prepare to board.

Large amounts of smoke were seen billowing out of an Air China plane at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday as passengers were preparing to board a flight to Tokyo.

The plane was scheduled for a 5:10 p.m. departure, local time, when the smoke began pouring from both the front and back of the plane. According to the South China Morning Post, the plane caught fire – though no flames were present.

In photos and video taken by witnesses, the smoke can be seen quickly billowing from the plane. In one shot, the top of the plane is seen charred and heavily damaged.

There were no flames, the airline reported, and no one was injured during the incident.

The plane was scheduled for a 5:10 p.m. departure, local time, when the smoke began pouring from both the front and back of the plane.

All those on board were able to evacuate safely. “The crew quickly executed the firefighting measures and organized the safe relocation of all passengers.”

The airline said no passengers were on board the flight at the time the smoke began.

Stonor light aircraft crash: Pilot and passenger killed

The plane crashed in a field in the village of Stonor, near Henley-on-Thames.

Two people have died in a light aircraft crash in Oxfordshire.

The small bi-plane crashed in a field in the area of Stonor, near Henley-on-Thames, at about 14:00 BST on Saturday.

Thames Valley Police said the aircraft’s pilot and passenger were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said its investigators were travelling to the scene of the crash to examine the aircraft.

Police said they were assisting the AAIB and no-one on the ground was injured.

“The AAIB investigation will take some time and an accident report will be released in due course,” they added

A Russian passenger plane has made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Moscow after striking a flock of birds.

At least 74 people were injured in the incident, which saw the plane land with its engines off and landing gear retracted, emergency officials said.

The Ural Airlines Airbus 321 was travelling to Simferopol in Crimea when it hit the flock of gulls shortly after take-off, disrupting its engines.

State media has dubbed the landing the “miracle over Ramensk”.

The Kremlin on Thursday hailed the pilots as heroes for “saving people’s lives and landing the plane”. A spokesman said they would receive state awards soon.

The plane had more than 230 passengers and crew on board when the birds were reportedly sucked into its engines and the crew immediately decided to land. 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.

Air transport agency Rosaviatsia said the plane landed in a cornfield about a kilometre (0.62 miles) from the runway at Zhukovsky International Airport, with its engines off and landing gear retracted.

Passengers were evacuated from the plane, with 74 then seeking medical treatment, according to Russia’s emergencies ministry. Nineteen children were among those reported injured. One person remains in hospital, according to Russian media reports.

Ural Airlines Director General Kirill Skuratov told state news agency Tass that passengers who wanted to continue with their trip would be put on alternative flights.

Russian media compared the incident to the US Airways flight that carried out an emergency landing on the Hudson River shortly after take-off in 2009.

But while the crew were hailed as heroes in Russia, they have been added to a blacklist on the website of the Ukrainian NGO Myrotvorets, affiliated to the country’s security services. It accused them of “knowingly and on multiple occasions making illegal crossings of the state border of Ukraine”.

Russian forces annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in March 2014 – a move condemned internationally. Crimea has a Russian-speaking majority.

Collisions between birds and planes are a common occurrence in aviation, with thousands reported every year in the US alone. However, they rarely result in accidents or cause damage to the aircraft.

Wheel fire on Omni Air Int 767 shuts Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport (SNN) was forced to close for a number of hours on Thursday 15th August after an air traffic controller noticed smoke and fire coming from an Omni Air International Boeing 767-300’s landing gear shortly before it was due to depart the Irish airport.

Upon the alarm being raised, the airport’s fire service raced to the aircraft and extinguished the fire on the main landing gear. All passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft via emergency slides, while it remained on the runway and were taken back to the airport’s terminal.

There were no injuries reported and after the aircraft was made safe and examined it was moved off the runway and Shannon Airport reopened shortly after 11am this morning. The Air Accident Investigation Unit confirmed that: “An AAIU go-team are responding to an occurrence at Shannon Airport, involving a Boeing 767 aircraft which was evacuated on the runway following a reported fire in a main-wheel well. Following consultation with the Shannon Airport Authority, the AAIU has given permission for the aircraft to be removed from the runway.”

The airline issued the following statement via social media “We are investigating reports of an incident involving Omni Air International flight 531 at Shannon Airport, Ireland. The Omni Boeing 767-300 aircraft rejected takeoff and was safely evacuated. Initial reports indicate no serious injuries to passengers or crew. We are participating in the investigation of this incident.”

Omni Air International is a US-based airline that specialises in operating charter flights, both in the leisure market and for the US Department of Defence, often transporting military and government personnel. There has been no confirmation regarding who had charted the aircraft for this aborted flight, or if there were any military personnel among the 145 passengers on the aircraft at the time of the incident.

British Airways flight evacuated after smoke filled cabin

A British Airways flight was evacuated after smoke filled the cabin shortly before landing.

The airline confirmed an “incident” on flight BA422 which departed London Heathrow at 15:10 BST on Monday and landed in Valencia.

Passengers had to slide down emergency chutes to the runway, with one describing the “terrifying” experience as “like a horror film”.

BA has apologised to the 175 passengers on board the aircraft, an Airbus A321.

A statement from the airline said the flight had “experienced a technical issue” as it approached Valencia.

Three passengers were taken to hospital and have since been discharged, BA added. It said staff members had assisted customers in the airport terminal after the evacuation.

BA said there were two pilots and six cabin crew members on the flight.

‘Crying and hyperventilating’

Passenger Gayle Fitzpatrick, who was on holiday with her husband, said: “There were no communications from the crew, some of which started to wear full oxygen masks and protective fire wear.”

“People were crying and hyperventilating. It was genuinely scary,” Mrs Fitzpatrick, from Glasgow, added.

Rachel Jupp, who was on the flight with her children, told BBC News smoke filled the cabin “very quickly” about 10 minutes before its scheduled landing.

Ms Jupp, the editor of BBC Panorama, said there had been no official announcement about what was happening as white smoke appeared to come through the air conditioning system into the cabin.

“Very quickly, you couldn’t see the passengers two seats down from you,” she said.

As the plane began to descend quickly Ms Jupp said she heard calls to “get down” in order to breathe the cleaner air near the floor of the aircraft.

She said the pilot did a “really good job” to make a “pretty smooth landing”.

“We later found out the cockpit was full of smoke and he had a gas mask on,” she added.

Ms Jupp said the cabin crew was unable to open the emergency exits for “three or four minutes” after the plane landed.

Passengers then slid down the emergency chutes to the runway.

                Image caption Passengers evacuate the smoke filled aircraft via emergency shoots

As members of the emergency services ran towards the plane, Ms Jupp said: “We were just told to run and get as far away as we could from the plane.”

Pictures have emerged on Twitter of the plane cabin filled with smoke.

                Image caption Smoke filed cabin

Mrs Fitzpatrick said fire crews were waiting on the runway when the plane landed and passengers were directed to the terminal.

                Image caption Evacuated passengers being told to stay away from the aircraft

Another passenger at Valencia airport told the BBC a member of staff on the ground had said there had been a “fire in the motor” of the aircraft.

In an email to affected passengers BA said it was “sourcing an alternative aircraft” to operate flights back to London.

Travellers who were delayed overnight were given free accommodation at a local hotel, BBC News was told.

An easyJet Airbus A320 and a KLM Boeing 737-800 have collided on the ground at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

An easyJet A320 collided with a KLM Boeing 737-800 at Schiphol this morning. Both aircraft have been damaged.

A KLM spokesperson said the aircraft hit each other during the ‘pushback’.

 

Eleven skydivers killed in ‘tragic’ Hawaii plane crash

Fire chief Manuel Neves describes the crash as the “most tragic aircraft incident that we’ve had”.

Eleven skydivers have died after a plane that was carrying them crashed shortly after take-off, officials in Hawaii have said.

There were no survivors in the crash, which happened near Dillingham Airfield on Oahu’s north shore. Firefighters arrived at the scene of the incident to find the twin engine King Air plane engulfed in flames.

Initial findings suggested the crash happened as the plane was taking off, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Fire chief Manuel Neves said some family members were at the airport as the flight took off, but names of the victims are yet to be released. Some witnesses said the plane crashed as it was coming into the airport but this has not been confirmed.

Mr Neves described the site of the crash as being “quite a way away from the runway” and added: “In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident that we’ve had.”

He said that many details are still not known about the incident. Initially, officials said six people were on board the flight but the number was later raised to 11.

According to FAA records, the plane was manufactured in 1967.

Manchester Airport fire: Images show burnt out cars at terminal two multi-storey car park

The blaze is understood to have involved a number of vehicles, originally starting with one before spreading to those parked nearby.

The fire broke out at a multi-storey car at terminal two

Dramatic images show the aftermath of a fire at a car park at Manchester Airport .

Fire crews were called to the terminal two multi-storey on Friday morning after thick black smoke plumes were seen billowing from the roof.

The blaze is understood to have involved a number of vehicles, originally starting with one before spreading to those parked nearby.

Photos shared with the Manchester Evening News, taken after the fire had been extinguished, show at least four cars to have been affected.

One, which is thought to be a Volkswagen, is completely burnt out.

An orange-coloured Peugeot 208 parked next to is also badly damaged, along with a Range Rover Evoke and a Honda Jazz.

The cause of the fire has not yet been released.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport said the incident was quickly brought under control, and that the car park has since reopened.

The top floor however, remains shut.

Any holidaymakers affected by the closure are asked to contact customer services.

Manchester Airport said in a statement earlier today: “This morning there was a small vehicle fire on the roof level of the Terminal Two multi-storey car park west.

“Firefighters from our on-site fire service attended and extinguished the fire shortly after arriving at the scene.

“As a precaution, the car park has been evacuated. Those travelling to Manchester Airport, especially those intending to park in the Terminal Two multi-storey west, should speak to the on-site traffic marshals, who will direct them to alternative parking locations.

“No flights are affected and further updates, including to customers whose cars are parked in the multi-storey, will be provided as soon as possible.”

The new west multi-storey car park at terminal two opened on April 1.

It was opened as the first phase of a £1bn transformation project to expand T2.

What went wrong inside
Boeing’s cockpit?

There was nothing more the pilots could have done.

As alarms sounded in their cockpit, the captain and first officer struggled to regain control of their stricken aircraft.

They were far too close to the ground, and needed to gain altitude. Yet when Capt Yared Getachew tried to guide the nose of the Boeing 737 upwards, an electronic system forced it down again.

Simply pulling back on his control column wasn’t enough. So he used a thumb switch as well, to adjust the aerodynamic balance of the plane, and encourage it to climb. But a few seconds later, those adjustments were automatically reversed.

The column was shaking in his hands, a mechanical warning that the aircraft was in danger of stalling and falling out of the sky. A harsh robotic voice called out “don’t sink” three times, indicating that the plane was losing height.

Together, he and First Officer Ahmednur Mohammed Omar worked quickly to find a solution. They flicked switches on the centre console to disable part of the electronics, and began using manual controls instead, in an attempt to make the plane fly normally.

Three Britons die after light aircraft crashes near Dubai International Airport

The UK-registered aircraft had been involved in upgrading a runway and flights were halted for nearly an hour after the crash.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are working closely with the Emirati authorities following reports of a small aircraft crash in Dubai.”

An investigation has begun and air traffic has returned to normal.

Flight Calibrations Service said in November that it had signed a contract to work on the UAE airport’s “navaids” – beacons which help pilots to locate runways and to land.

On 16 April, the airport’s southern runway was closed so it could be resurfaced and all its lighting and supporting infrastructure replaced. It is set to re-open on 30 May.

Dubai International Airport is the world’s busiest when measured by international passenger traffic.

It is also the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements.

Abergavenny plane crash: Three survive A40 incident

A light aircraft has crashed on to a main road but managed to avoid hitting any cars.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the three people on board survived the incident on the A40 near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.

The service was called to the crash at about 11:00 BST on Sunday.

It said the three people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and taken to hospital as a precaution.

Two motorists, Daniel Nicholson and Joel Snarr, a former army bomb disposal officer, helped to rescue those on board the aircraft.

Mr Nicholson, who was first on the scene, said the plane was upside down.

He said: “We could only see two people at first – they were screaming as the plane was on fire.”

Mr Nicholson added that he was “worried we weren’t going to be able to get them out”.

He went on to say that without Mr Snarr’s help, he probably would not have been able to rescue those on board.

Mr Snarr explained he saw the plane appear “out of nowhere” and “burst into smoke and some flames”.

“It was a miracle no one else was on the road,” he said.

In total 19 firefighters attended the site and used foam to extinguish the aircraft.

‘Loud explosion’

Rhodri Jones, who lives about two miles from the scene at Llanover said: “I was in the house and heard a loud explosion.

“Initially we thought it was rail crash because the line is nearby. There was thick smoke.”

BBC reporter Rhodri Tomos’ train from Cardiff to Manchester had to make an emergency stop just before Abergavenny.

He said: “The guard said that a light aircraft has crashed into some power cables and the cables have hit the train.

“We could smell some burning and we were at a stop for about 15 minutes.”

Gwent Police said in a statement: “The aircraft was reported to have made an unscheduled landing in the area, colliding with overhead wiring.

“Three occupants of the light aircraft were treated by paramedics at the scene. Their injuries are not life-threatening.”

The Air Accident Investigation Branch is aware of the incident and is making initial inquiries.

It is the second time in three years in which a light aircraft crashed on the same stretch of road.

Three people sustained minor injuries when the four-seater Piper Warrior II came down in 2016.

Aeroflot plane crash: 41 killed on Russian jet

Forty-one people died after a Russian plane made an emergency landing and burst into flames just after takeoff from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Survivors suggest the plane was struck by lightning, but Russia’s national carrier said only that it returned to the airport for technical reasons.

Two children are among the dead. The jet had 73 passengers and five crew.

Initial reports suggested the plane had landed on fire, but sources quoted by Russian news agency Interfax said the jet caught fire after a very bumpy landing.

The aircraft landed with full fuel tanks because the crew lost contact with air traffic controllers and decided it was too dangerous to dump fuel over Moscow, Interfax added.

“There are 37 survivors – 33 passengers and four members of the crew,” said Yelena Markovskaya, an official involved in the investigation of the crash.

A flight attendant was also reportedly killed in the incident. Five people are in hospital. One witness said it was a “miracle” anyone escaped.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered a special committee to investigate the disaster.

What happened to the plane?

The aircraft, a Sukhoi Superjet-100, left the airport at 18:02 local time (15:02 GMT), bound for Murmansk.

Its crew sent a distress signal when “malfunctions” occurred in bad weather shortly after take-off.

After making an emergency landing at the airport, the plane’s engines caught fire on the runway, Aeroflot said, adding that the crew “did everything to save the passengers”.

One passenger who survived the crash, Petr Egorov, was quoted by the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily newspaper as saying that the flight “had just taken off and the aircraft was hit by lightning”, adding: “The landing was rough – I almost passed out from fear.”

Boeing 737 skids off runway into Florida river

A passenger plane slid off a runway in the US state of Florida on Friday night, ending up in a river after landing during a thunderstorm.

Twenty-one people were taken to hospital with minor injuries, officials said.

The chartered Boeing 737, operated by Miami Air International, had flown from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to a military base in the city of Jacksonville.

Passengers say it landed heavily in the storm, skidding into St John’s River.

The 136 passengers and seven crew members on board evacuated the Boeing 737-800 via its wings.

“No fatalities reported. We are all in this together,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry wrote on Twitter after the incident.

He also said President Donald Trump had offered assistance as the situation was developing.

Image Copyright @JSOPIO @JSOPIO

Report

On Saturday a spokeswoman for the US Navy in Jacksonville said that at least four pets checked into the luggage area were presumed to have died due to flooding.

“There’s water in the cargo hold,” Kaylee LaRocque told USA Today.

“We are so sad about this situation, that there are animals that unfortunately passed away.”

‘Terrifying’ moment

One passenger on the plane, Cheryl Bormann, described the “terrifying” moment it slid off the runway.

“The plane literally hit the ground and bounced – it was clear the pilot did not have total control of the plane, it bounced again,” she told CNN.

 

“We were in the water. We couldn’t tell where we were, whether it was a river or an ocean,” she said, adding that she could smell jet fuel leaking into the river.

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In a news conference, Captain Michael Connor, commanding officer at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, said it was a “miracle” that there had been no serious injuries or fatalities.

Miami Air International is contracted by the US military for its twice-weekly “rotator” service between the US mainland and Guantanamo Bay, Bill Dougherty, a base spokesman said.

Officials say the people on Friday’s flight included civilian and military personnel.

Boeing released a statement sharing its “well wishes” with those on board.

It said it was providing technical assistance to the US National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident.

The aerospace giant has been under increased scrutiny following two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max 8 planes – a different model to the one involved in the incident on Friday.