Plane crashes in Siberia; 118 confirmed dead

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/09072006/...rmed-dead.html




Plane crashes in Siberia; 118 confirmed dead



2 hours, 34 minutes ago




MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian passenger plane skidded off a rain-slicked
Siberian runway early Sunday and plowed through a concrete barrier,
bursting into flames. At least 118 people were killed and about 14
still unaccounted for, officials said.
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The S7 Airbus A-310 was carrying 200 people - a crew of eight and 192
passengers - on a flight from Moscow to Irkutsk. Many were children
headed to nearby Lake Baikal on vacation, according to Russian news
reports.



Rescue workers recovered at least 118 bodies, said a duty officer in
the regional branch of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry. He said
that 68 people were known to have survived the crash, including a
pilot; 53 were hospitalized with burns and smoke poisoning.



Some owed their lives to a flight attendant who had the presence of
mind to open an escape hatch, the ministry said.



The plane veered off the runway on landing and tore through a
six-foot-high concrete barrier. It then crashed into a compound of
one-story garages, stopping a short distance from some small houses.



A witness said he heard a bang and the ground trembled.



"I saw smoke coming from the aircraft. People were already walking out
who were charred, injured, burnt," Mikhail Yegeryov told NTV
television.



"I asked a person who was in the Airbus what happened, and he said the
plane had landed on the tarmac but didn't brake. The cabin then burst
into flames," Yegeryov said.



The aircraft's two black boxes had been recovered and were being
deciphered.



Transport Minister Igor Levitin suggested the rainy weather was a
factor but did not rule out a technical problem.



"The landing strip was wet. So we'll have to check the clutch and the
technical condition of the aircraft," he told Russian state television.




Levitin added that the pilot had radioed ground control to say the
aircraft had landed safely before communication was cut off.



Airline official Alexander Zyubr said the plane was in good condition,
according to RIA-Novosti.



Irina Andrianova, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry,
said it took firefighters more than two hours to put out the blaze.
There were two explosions caused by the ton of fuel in the plane,
Moscow radio reported.



Russian television showed smoke rising from the wreckage and
firefighters clambering on top.



"It was travelling at a terrific speed," the spokeswoman said. She said
the front end of the plane was crumpled in the crash 2,600 miles east
of Moscow.



Details began to emerge of the chaotic aftermath of the crash. One
flight attendant opened the rear escape hatch and let a number of
passengers out, the ministry's regional branch said.



Ten passengers managed to escape this way and other survivors,
including a pilot, were saved by firefighters and rescuers, ITAR-Tass
reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed his condolences to the
victims' relatives, who gathered at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, where
the plane took off.

A man who said his brother, sister-in-law and their 4-year-old son were
on the plane sat on a curb outside a crisis center near the airport
fighting back tears.

"They're not on the list" of people in hospital, said the man, who gave
his name only as Vyascheslav.

His friend Larissa Kolcheva, a 27-year-old Muscovite, said the three
had flown to Moscow from the Moldovan capital Chisinau on Saturday
morning and had been on their way to visit relatives in Irkutsk.

"We met them yesterday morning at this very airport. It was great. We
spent the day with them seeing Moscow ... Everything was beautiful,"
she said starting to cry.

In May, another Airbus aircraft crashed in stormy weather off Russia's
Black Sea coast, killing all 113 people on board. Airline officials
blamed the crash of the Armenian passenger plane on driving rain and
low visibility.

In March 1994, a half-empty Airbus A-310 belonging to Russian state
airline Aeroflot crashed near the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk,
killing 70 people. Investigators said the crash was caused mainly by
the pilot's teenage son inadvertently disconnecting the autopilot.

Sunday's disaster was the fourth air crash in Irkutsk in the past 12
years.

In January 1994, a TU-154 aircraft crashed on takeoff from Irkutsk,
killing 124 people. In December 1997, an An-124 military transport
aircraft crashed in a residential area of the city, killing 72 people.
And in July 2001, a Tu-154 Russian passenger plane crashed near
Irkutsk, killing all 143 people on board.

S7, formerly known as Sibir, is Russia's second-largest airline, carved
out of Aeroflot's Siberian wing after the collapse of the Soviet Union.


Cash-strapped and saddled with aging aircraft, regional airlines
whittled out of Aeroflot were once notorious for their disregard for
safety but their records have improved in recent years.

-

I'm a layman in USA and haven't flown on Aerofloat.
I post from far away, while it frankly appears to be relatively risky.
So, even if they would give-away or vastly discount their tickets, I
might not risk it.

Circa 1956, there seemed to be more than one Lockheed Electra crashing
(was there?).
I was about twelve years old, but had alrerady flown a couple of times,
only vomiting once or twice in large round ice cream style white
containers (modern bags don't take-up as much space).
This was 50 years ago, tho I recall my feeling about the Electra.
They (media reports) blamed "birds sucked into jet engine near the
Boston runway" or whatever: Hey what about "screens," misters b.s.
aeronautical-jerk-a-neers?

When a media report sort of insults intelligence--or maybe tells the
truth about sucked-birds--my confidence appropriately
diminishes/cynicizes/goes-into-helle.

The folk-tale of
crashes/incidents happening in threes interests/bothers me.

I realize it's typically dumkopf & infected thinking; but I betcha
many/most people have that similar fear of tragedies happening in
threes.

So, fellow folks, expect a coupla more w/in week or two.

And, yes, I'm sort of sorry for this sorry posting, but I was sort of
bashed for citing diarhhea in Mexico, so why not really be a schnook.









wrote:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/09072006/...rmed-dead.html




Plane crashes in Siberia; 118 confirmed dead



2 hours, 34 minutes ago




MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian passenger plane skidded off a rain-slicked
Siberian runway early Sunday and plowed through a concrete barrier,
bursting into flames. At least 118 people were killed and about 14
still unaccounted for, officials said.
ADVERTISEMENT


The S7 Airbus A-310 was carrying 200 people - a crew of eight and 192
passengers - on a flight from Moscow to Irkutsk. Many were children
headed to nearby Lake Baikal on vacation, according to Russian news
reports.



Rescue workers recovered at least 118 bodies, said a duty officer in
the regional branch of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry. He said
that 68 people were known to have survived the crash, including a
pilot; 53 were hospitalized with burns and smoke poisoning.



Some owed their lives to a flight attendant who had the presence of
mind to open an escape hatch, the ministry said.



The plane veered off the runway on landing and tore through a
six-foot-high concrete barrier. It then crashed into a compound of
one-story garages, stopping a short distance from some small houses.



A witness said he heard a bang and the ground trembled.



"I saw smoke coming from the aircraft. People were already walking out
who were charred, injured, burnt," Mikhail Yegeryov told NTV
television.



"I asked a person who was in the Airbus what happened, and he said the
plane had landed on the tarmac but didn't brake. The cabin then burst
into flames," Yegeryov said.



The aircraft's two black boxes had been recovered and were being
deciphered.



Transport Minister Igor Levitin suggested the rainy weather was a
factor but did not rule out a technical problem.



"The landing strip was wet. So we'll have to check the clutch and the
technical condition of the aircraft," he told Russian state television.




Levitin added that the pilot had radioed ground control to say the
aircraft had landed safely before communication was cut off.



Airline official Alexander Zyubr said the plane was in good condition,
according to RIA-Novosti.



Irina Andrianova, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry,
said it took firefighters more than two hours to put out the blaze.
There were two explosions caused by the ton of fuel in the plane,
Moscow radio reported.



Russian television showed smoke rising from the wreckage and
firefighters clambering on top.



"It was travelling at a terrific speed," the spokeswoman said. She said
the front end of the plane was crumpled in the crash 2,600 miles east
of Moscow.



Details began to emerge of the chaotic aftermath of the crash. One
flight attendant opened the rear escape hatch and let a number of
passengers out, the ministry's regional branch said.



Ten passengers managed to escape this way and other survivors,
including a pilot, were saved by firefighters and rescuers, ITAR-Tass
reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed his condolences to the
victims' relatives, who gathered at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, where
the plane took off.

A man who said his brother, sister-in-law and their 4-year-old son were
on the plane sat on a curb outside a crisis center near the airport
fighting back tears.

"They're not on the list" of people in hospital, said the man, who gave
his name only as Vyascheslav.

His friend Larissa Kolcheva, a 27-year-old Muscovite, said the three
had flown to Moscow from the Moldovan capital Chisinau on Saturday
morning and had been on their way to visit relatives in Irkutsk.

"We met them yesterday morning at this very airport. It was great. We
spent the day with them seeing Moscow ... Everything was beautiful,"
she said starting to cry.

In May, another Airbus aircraft crashed in stormy weather off Russia's
Black Sea coast, killing all 113 people on board. Airline officials
blamed the crash of the Armenian passenger plane on driving rain and
low visibility.

In March 1994, a half-empty Airbus A-310 belonging to Russian state
airline Aeroflot crashed near the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk,
killing 70 people. Investigators said the crash was caused mainly by
the pilot's teenage son inadvertently disconnecting the autopilot.

Sunday's disaster was the fourth air crash in Irkutsk in the past 12
years.

In January 1994, a TU-154 aircraft crashed on takeoff from Irkutsk,
killing 124 people. In December 1997, an An-124 military transport
aircraft crashed in a residential area of the city, killing 72 people.
And in July 2001, a Tu-154 Russian passenger plane crashed near
Irkutsk, killing all 143 people on board.

S7, formerly known as Sibir, is Russia's second-largest airline, carved
out of Aeroflot's Siberian wing after the collapse of the Soviet Union.


Cash-strapped and saddled with aging aircraft, regional airlines
whittled out of Aeroflot were once notorious for their disregard for
safety but their records have improved in recent years.

-

"Robert Cohen" wrote:

I'm a layman in USA and haven't flown on Aerofloat.
I post from far away, while it frankly appears to be relatively risky.
So, even if they would give-away or vastly discount their tickets, I
might not risk it.

The old Aeroflot was split up into a number of companies. The airline
that currently flies under the Aeroflot banner mostly flies international
routes, and some of the major domestic routes. It is operated to
international standards, and hasn't had any major incidents. The
accidents you read about mostly involve the new smaller domestic
carriers.

Circa 1956, there seemed to be more than one Lockheed Electra crashing
(was there?).

Yes, a design problem in the engine supports allowed the engines to move
around relative to the wing. This resulted in the wings coming off in
turbulance. The engine supports were modified, and the accidents
stopped.

This was 50 years ago, tho I recall my feeling about the Electra.
They (media reports) blamed "birds sucked into jet engine near the
Boston runway" or whatever: Hey what about "screens," misters b.s.
aeronautical-jerk-a-neers?

That was Eastern Airlines, 1960. It flew into a flock of starlings,
which caused three of the engines to fail. That started a whole study of
how to keep birds away from airports and engine designs. It could have
happened to any type of aircraft.

How do you expect the aircraft to take off through the screens that keep
the birds away?

In article .com,
"Robert Cohen" wrote:

Circa 1956, there seemed to be more than one Lockheed Electra crashing
(was there?).

Those (like the early Comet crashes) were eventually traced to a
previously unknown (or at least unanticipated) and technically
interesting cause -- a wing flutter problem in the Electra case.

On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:51:08 -0700, AES wrote:

In article .com,
"Robert Cohen" wrote:

Circa 1956, there seemed to be more than one Lockheed Electra crashing
(was there?).

Those (like the early Comet crashes) were eventually traced to a
previously unknown (or at least unanticipated) and technically
interesting cause -- a wing flutter problem in the Electra case.

Didn't the De Havilland Comet's have a metal fatigue
problem, they were the first commercial jet, BOAC had a fleet
of them.
Flew in one of the Olympic Airline's Comets from Athens to Paris in
1967, nice smooth flight as I recall, even going over the Alps.

Robert Cohen wrote:

I'm a layman in USA and haven't flown on Aerofloat.\\
I post from far away, while it frankly appears to be relatively risky.
So, even if they would give-away or vastly discount their tickets, I
might not risk it.

S7, using a A-310 had the crash.
How many recent SU (Aeroflot) crashes are you aware of?

The biggest problem with SU isn't safety, its the other factors, like on
time arrival within the nearest 12 hours. The food... The FA's.... etc
777's missing head cushions from the seats... no lights in the rear
economy section.... Connecting from SVO2 to SVO1, or vice-versa

In article ,
irwell wrote:

Those (like the early Comet crashes) were eventually traced to a
previously unknown (or at least unanticipated) and technically
interesting cause -- a wing flutter problem in the Electra case.

Didn't the De Havilland Comet's have a metal fatigue
problem, they were the first commercial jet, BOAC had a fleet
of them.
Flew in one of the Olympic Airline's Comets from Athens to Paris in
1967, nice smooth flight as I recall, even going over the Alps.

Comets, as I recall, had stress cracks around the windows due to cyclic
pressurization and depressurization on each flight.

Both cases were thus more or less "metallurgical" in character, and both
were associated with periodic loadings or stresses -- though at very
much different periods.

When I acknowledge being a non-professional, a layman, that explicitly
means that I am posting from my subjective pov/image of course.

You rhetorically challenge the percerption
that I have, which is ok by me, as I
understand you're playing contrarian/opposite advocate which isn't a
bad thing at all in trying to get to truths & realities.

Therefore, herein are some cites that bore & confuse me; tho do
indicate the controversy that's in my intuitive negative image, perhaps
unfairly so but is there nevertheless.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...&btnG=Se arch

mrtravel wrote:
Robert Cohen wrote:

I'm a layman in USA and haven't flown on Aerofloat.\\
I post from far away, while it frankly appears to be relatively risky.
So, even if they would give-away or vastly discount their tickets, I
might not risk it.

S7, using a A-310 had the crash.
How many recent SU (Aeroflot) crashes are you aware of?

The biggest problem with SU isn't safety, its the other factors, like on
time arrival within the nearest 12 hours. The food... The FA's.... etc
777's missing head cushions from the seats... no lights in the rear
economy section.... Connecting from SVO2 to SVO1, or vice-versa

oooppps

Aerofloat

Aeroflot

The spelling makes quite a difference when looking-it-up of course.


Robert Cohen wrote:
When I acknowledge being a non-professional, a layman, that explicitly
means that I am posting from my subjective pov/image of course.

You rhetorically challenge the percerption
that I have, which is ok by me, as I
understand you're playing contrarian/opposite advocate which isn't a
bad thing at all in trying to get to truths & realities.

Therefore, herein are some cites that bore & confuse me; tho do
indicate the controversy that's in my intuitive negative image, perhaps
unfairly so but is there nevertheless.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...&btnG=Se arch

mrtravel wrote:
Robert Cohen wrote:

I'm a layman in USA and haven't flown on Aerofloat.\\
I post from far away, while it frankly appears to be relatively risky.
So, even if they would give-away or vastly discount their tickets, I
might not risk it.

S7, using a A-310 had the crash.
How many recent SU (Aeroflot) crashes are you aware of?

The biggest problem with SU isn't safety, its the other factors, like on
time arrival within the nearest 12 hours. The food... The FA's.... etc
777's missing head cushions from the seats... no lights in the rear
economy section.... Connecting from SVO2 to SVO1, or vice-versa

Robert Cohen wrote:

When I acknowledge being a non-professional, a layman, that explicitly
means that I am posting from my subjective pov/image of course.


No, I was explaining that the plane that crashed was from a different
airline, but you keep bringing up Aeroflot. I also don't recall any
recent problems involving SU international service.