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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49355236
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 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 airline said the plane was significantly damaged and would not fly again. An official investigation is under way.
[...] 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.
[...] 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.
Flight is U6178 Moscow-Simferopol, plane was VQ-BOZ.
Reports say one engine was out and the other was badly damaged so the crew shut it off. But on this video I can hear some engine noise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f893GhbiBA
Glide-landing 7 crew, 226 passengers, and ~6 tons of jet fuel safely in a corn field is undoubtedly an achievement.
(Score: 4, Informative) by DutchUncle on Friday August 16 2019, @12:58PM (3 children)
Exactly. The landing gear would only have gotten stuck, snapped off, and the open doors would have been even worse. The smooth bottom of the plane (relatively smooth) along the nice crushable plants (better than freshly plowed earth and rocks) was the best call. Makes me wonder if the pilot was ex-Navy.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday August 16 2019, @01:29PM (1 child)
My guess without a map is we're missing the time factor.
We always have an emergency airport kinda in mind or at least a vague plan ... Engines blow up, lets land at the nearest airport, no idea if hydraulics are leaking so pop the gear immediately while we still can ... time passes ... Whoops.jpg we're way too far from the nearest airport so we'll land in this nice farm field...
(Score: 3, Informative) by legont on Friday August 16 2019, @08:59PM
It was still above the runway when the birds went into the left engine. So, it seems the pilots intentionally retracted gear before the emergency landing.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Saturday August 17 2019, @03:15AM
After watching the videos... I'm impressed. That was a pretty durn soft landing, all things considered.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.