Passenger jet crashes after taking hard landing in Moscow airport
A Red Wings Tupolev 204 has crashed . Photo here
Passenger jet crashes after taking hard landing in Moscow airport
Passenger plane crash lands on Moscow highway near Vnukovo Airport — RT
A passenger jet has crashed after taking a hard landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, witnesses say. Two people were killed and at least three others were taken to hospital in a critical condition, says Russia’s Interior Ministry.
The plane may have been carrying at least 8 passengers and 4 crew. It was flying in from Pardubice, the Czech Republic. The airport's press service says that all the people onboard were the crew.
Preliminary reports say the jet, which belongs to Russian low-cost airline Red Wings, crashed after taking a second landing attempt. It rolled out from the runway into Kievskoye Highway, fell into pieces and caught fire. The plane broke into three big parts, reports RIA Novosti quoting sources. The incident took place at around 16:35 local time (12:35 GMT).
Firefighters and rescuers work on the ground. The circumstances of the incident are being clarified. Earlier, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed that the plane had to make a forced landing.
Part of the crashed Tupolev-204 has blocked the highway; a traffic jam is developing at the scene. Vnukovo-bound flights are getting diverted to Sheremetyevo Airport.
Red Wings is a Russian airline that specializes in charter flights to Russia and Europe. In 2012 the company began to operate regular flights throughout Russia. The company is the largest buyer of Russian-made Tu-204 airplanes.
Red Wings is owned by the Russian tycoon Alexander Lebedev. In November 2012, a company leasing planes to Red Wings filed eight lawsuits demanding some $65 million in debts. However, it was reported that lawsuits were just a formal procedure and the dispute between the two companies would be resolved out of court