Russia’s Investigative Committee has concluded its inquiry into the fatal crash of a Superjet-100 passenger aircraft at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. It also published a new video of the incident, which it blamed on pilot error.
Denis Evdokimov, the captain of the Russian-built Sukhoi Superjet-100, will face charges of improper handling of an aircraft over the incident that took place on May 5, 2019 and claimed 41 lives. The aircraft was forced to return to its point of departure because of malfunctions in the communications system and autopilot. As it hit the runway, the plane suddenly bounced and burst into flames which swiftly engulfed the aircraft’s rear.
The video published by the Investigative Committee shows the plane skidding along the runway while already on fire as well as passengers desperately evacuating through the front door as firefighters sought to extinguish the blaze. Part of the video also shows the charred remains of the airliner following the incident.
According to investigators, it was Evdokimov’s actions that caused the aircraft to hit the ground with such a force that it broke the fuselage and ignited its engines and fuel tanks. The committee also said that the plane was mostly operational and the captain could have safely landed it in manual control mode.
The pilot’s lawyers maintain that the probe was “incomplete” and now plan to demand that the Russian Public Prosecutor’s Office launch an additional investigation into the case.
Also on rt.com From lightning strike to fiery landing: IAC releases minute-by-minute account of SSJ-100 crashThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!