Tupolev down in Surgut, Russia
 

Sky news reporting a Tupolev (Tu-134??) has been involved in an accident at Surgut, Russia. Aircraft was taxiing for take-off when an engine exploded and caught fire. At least 1 dead.

Russia: Passenger Jet Explodes While Taxiing For Takeoff At Siberian Airport, One Person Dead | World News | Sky News

Wasn't it due to the fuel leak while taxiing before the take-off?

At least one dead, three missing in plane explosion in Siberia : Landing + Explosion
 

At least one dead, three missing in plane explosion in Siberia (Update 3) | Russia | RIA Novosti

At least one person has died and another three are missing after an ensuing explosion and fire of a Russian Tu-154M passenger jet that made an emergency landing in the Siberian city of Surgut due to an engine flaming out on takeoff, a source in Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, reported on Saturday.
"According to preliminary information, one person died and several others were injured in the ensuing fire on board the Tu-154M aircraft from Kogalymavia Airlines at the Surgut Airport," the source said.
Earlier it was reported that a Tu-134 passenger jet with 130 on board exploded after the emergency landing and that it belonged to Kolavia Airlines.
Rosaviatsia spokesman Sergei Izvolsky said there were 116 passengers and eight crew members on board the plane which was to land at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.
Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said that four passengers had been hospitalized after the passengers were evacuated from the plane.
"Four people have been hospitalized due to toxic poisoning from the fire," Markin said.
A police source reiterated that one person had died in the accident and that another 10 had been injured, all of whom have been hospitalized.
A criminal case has been launched in connection with the airplane accident.

MOSCOW, January 1 (RIA Novosti)

RA-85588 is a Tu-154B-2.
Bad luck for the Tu-154 last months.

Arrakis

http://img.lenta.ru/news/2011/01/01/latest/picture.jpg

Three (including one children) dead (by Interfax), four with severe burnings, 44 total in hospital.

Video from SurgutInformTV

http://img.beta.rian.ru/images/31635/21/316352123.jpg

Video from Rossia 24 TV

Aging aircraft, etc so yeah, maybe.

I have flown twice on a 154 and thought it was a pretty solid bit of kit. Only complaint I had was when I nearly got deafened taking a leak in the rear head, next to the powerplants.

I suspect the problem is that some companies are pushing this graceful aircraft to unacceptable limits. Like any lady, if you don't look after her she will bite back and then some.

KB

Fair point GobonaStick....

Also, I see the online media are trying to out-do each other and solve the case in 5 minutes flat. I have read that the 154 was both taxying for T/O and that it had already returned for an emergency landing :confused: Same old eh...

KB

More details
 

"A Kolavia Tupolev TU-154B2, registration RA-85588 performing flight 7K-348 from Surgut to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia) with 116 passengers and 8 crew, was preparing for takeoff from Surgut when an engine (NK-8 ) caught fire. The crew could not extinguish the fire which spread into the fuselage. The airplane was evacuated. . The aircraft burned down completely.
Three killed, dozens injured."

Source

An account from the BBC
 

"short-circuit in electrical equipment"
 

Flightglobal reporting that MAK believes:

... as the engines on the Tu-154 were started, the fire developed "as a result of a short-circuit in on-board electrical equipment"...

By the way, anyone know when the 787 might fly again?

Where is the APU located in the TU154B?

In the tail, above the #2 engine. A video of another APU fire during taxi 3 months ago:
Tu-154 burns - Accidents - Avsim R Us

Perhaps something is lost in the translation, but passing along a link to a news story from AP that Russia's "transport oversight agency" has ordered the grounding of TU-154Bs.

Russia orders halt to Tu-154B flights after fire - Yahoo! News

On a previous post, deleted by someone for what reason I do not know, I wrote: "5 hull losses in less than a year. Makes one wonder."

Let me be a bit more precise. I meant TU154 hull losses.

The fact that a type has had 5 accidents in less than a year is quite relevant. I will not go into guessing what these reasons are but I am sure there is no single contributing factor but as with all accidents, the final outcome is the end of a long chain of events etc.

YouTube - Eyewitness video

NO engine fires. Favorite version on aviaforum.ru - fireworks+booze in cargo or in hand luggage.

Why did it take so long to start the pax evac?

fatbus fire brigade seems not very effective too

Somethings missing here

The expected response to this accident would be to determine the source and quantity of the fuel, the probable ignition and how the fire got into the cabin so quickly. Then to define a corrective action program and time frame which would then be the news story.

To say that you don't know the answers to those post incident fundamental question and that the type must be grounded is astounding.

I grant you that it does take some time to understand all the details, but on the basis of a single accident you rarely ground (remove from service all aircraft) a large established fleet unless you already have replacement aircraft available to fill the gap.

edited to add:

it seems that a dual running thread on this accident has provided the missing info

To my untrained eye, that fire is in the cabin. Definitely nowhere near the rear mounted engines.