MOSCOW (AP) - A passenger airliner careered off the runway at
Russia's third-busiest airport and partly onto a highway while landing
on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing at least four
people.
Officials said there were eight people aboard the
Tu-204 belonging to Russian airline Red Wings that was flying back from
the Czech Republic without passengers to its home at Vnukovo Airport.
Emergency officials said in a televised news
conference that four people were killed and another four severely
injured when the plane rolled off the runway into a snowy field and
partly onto an adjacent highway, then disintegrated. No collisions with
vehicles on the major, multilane highway were reported.
The plane's cockpit area was sheared off from the fuselage and the tail section partly torn away.
The crash occurred amid snow and winds gusting up
to 15 meters a second (30 mph), but other details were not immediately
known. A spokesman for Russia's top investigative agency, Vladimir
Markin, said initial indications were that pilot error was the cause.
The state news agency RIA Novosti cited an
unidentified official at the Russian Aviation Agency as saying another
Red Wings Tu-204 had gone off the runway at the international airport in
Novosibirsk in Siberia on Dec. 20. The agency said that incident, in
which no one was injured, was due to the failure of the plane's engines
to go into reverse upon landing and that its brake system malfunctioned.
On Friday, the Aviation Agency sent a directive to
the Tupolev company's president calling for it to take urgent preventive
measures.
The plane that crashed Saturday took off from
Pardubice airport in the Czech Republic. Jan Anderlik, the director of
the company that operates the airport, told Czech public television that
the plane underwent a regular technical check before takeoff and no
problems were discovered.
Prior to Saturday's crash, there had been no fatal
accidents reported for Tu-204s, which entered commercial service in
1995. The plane is a twin-engine midrange jet with a capacity of about
210 passengers.
The Red Wings airline is one of the holdings of
Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev, who also owns the British
newspapers The Independent and the Evening Standard.
Vnukovo, on the southern outskirts of Moscow, is one of the Russian capital's three international airports.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 12:19 AM EDT2013-06-19 04:19:14 GMT
Toledo firefighters are on the scene of a house fire in Toledo. The fire broke out at a home on the 1100 block of Avondale just after 11:30pm Tuesday. Dispatchers tell us heavy flames are showing.
Toledo firefighters were called to the scene of a house fire in Toledo late Tuesday night. The fire broke out at a home on the 1100 block of Avondale just after 11:30pm Tuesday.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 7:55 PM EDT2013-06-18 23:55:39 GMT
Sylvania Township police are investigating the third incident of vandalism at Olander Park in the past two months. Firefighters arrived at the park Monday night to see a small building completely engulfed
Sylvania Township police are investigating the third incident of vandalism at Olander Park in the past two months.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 12:35 AM EDT2013-06-19 04:35:13 GMT
BREAKING: DETROIT (AP) - Chrysler decides to go along with government request to recall 2.7 million older model Jeeps.
Chrysler abruptly agreed to recall 2.7 million older model Jeeps Tuesday, reversing a defiant stance and avoiding a possible public relations nightmare over fuel tanks that can rupture and cause fires in rear-end collisions.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 12:33 AM EDT2013-06-19 04:33:49 GMT
Up and down Federal Street, pink ribbons are now wrapped around trees, poles and cars. They are a solemn reminder of East Toledo's missing baby girl. 18-month-old Elaina Steinfurth was last seen on June
Up and down Federal Street, pink ribbons are now wrapped around trees, poles and cars. They are a solemn reminder of East Toledo's missing baby girl.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 10:43 PM EDT2013-06-19 02:43:03 GMT
Congratulations to the winners of our Father's Day Photo Contest! Katie Osborn sent us the winning picture of father and daughter playing in a sprinkler. She says the little girl talked her dad into cooling
Congratulations to the winners of our Father's Day Photo Contest! Katie Osborn sent us the winning picture of father and daughter playing in a sprinkler. She says the little girl talked her dad into cooling off in the water.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 10:11 PM EDT2013-06-19 02:11:45 GMT
Rossford police are asking for your help identifying a pair of suspects. Investigators are looking for two suspects involved in a theft at the True North on Buck Road. Surveillance cameras captured the
Rossford police are asking for your help identifying a pair of suspects. Investigators are looking for two suspects involved in a theft at the True North on Buck Road.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 9:51 PM EDT2013-06-19 01:51:49 GMT
Toledo Police are searching for a suspect in an afternoon shooting. It happened just after 3:00 p.m. on Jervis near Bloomfield. Officers tell 13abc a woman called 9-1-1 and told dispatchers someone shot
Toledo Police are searching for a suspect in an afternoon shooting. It happened just after 3:00 p.m. on Jervis near Bloomfield.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 9:39 PM EDT2013-06-19 01:39:16 GMT
He was born with a condition that limits his sight, but it's not stopping a local 6th grader from competing on a national level. Jalen Ballard is representing Ohio in a national Braille competition.
He was born with a condition that limits his sight, but it's not stopping a local 6th grader from competing on a national level. Jalen Ballard is representing Ohio in a national Braille competition.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 7:54 PM EDT2013-06-18 23:54:48 GMT
Two young girls were sleeping on the floor during a summer night, when gunshots burst through their apartment, killing one of them. Now one of the men police say was responsible has rejected a plea deal
Two young girls were sleeping on the floor during a summer night, when gunshots burst through their apartment, killing one of them. Now one of the men police say was responsible has rejected a plea deal in the case.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 7:00 PM EDT2013-06-18 23:00:32 GMT
From around 11:01 to 11:05, the International Space Station will fly overhead, initially emerging from the northwestern horizon, then departing to the east. The weather should cooperate, with gradual clearing.
From around 11:01 to 11:05, the International Space Station will fly overhead, initially emerging from the northwestern horizon, then departing to the east. The weather should cooperate, with gradual clearing.
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