A tail strike and malfunctioning undercarriages saw a Boeing 737, flown by Russia’s UTair airline, perform a hard landing at an airfield in Siberia. All 88 passengers and 6 crew were evacuated using emergency exits.
The twin-engine airliner landed in Usinsk airport in the Republic of Komi earlier on Sunday, but slid off the runway, ending up belly down in a snow-covered field. The crew deployed the inflatable slides and evacuated all 88 passengers.
Meanwhile, one of the passengers filmed the bumpy touchdown from inside the plane. The aircraft can be seen during its descent, followed by a severe blow that damaged part of the ceiling.
No one was hurt in the incident, authorities told the media. Rescue services sent a number of fire engines, but no blaze broke out on the airplane.
The aircraft had dumped fuel and landed with emptied tanks, local media also reported.
Blame is, for now, being placed on a faulty undercarriage, although other potential factors – such as pilot error or bad weather – are also being considered.
The news comes on the heels of similar incidents involving both the troubled 737 family and Airbus jets. Just three days ago, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines overshot a runway during landing and broke up, leaving three people dead. There were 183 passengers and crew on board.
Also on rt.com WATCH 1st footage of plane that crash-landed at Turkish airportEarlier in February, an Iran Air A319 with 102 passengers and eight crew failed to safely land at Kermanshah Airport, veering off the runway.
Authorities also blamed that incident on a faulty landing gear too. UTair, one of Russia’s largest airlines, also had some issues with the 737 model back in 2018. Its Flight 579 also overran an airstrip and caught fire during a landing in Sochi, injuring 18 people.
Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.