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Russian plane feared lost makes emergency landing in Siberia

July 16, 2021

A Siberian regional airliner disappeared from radars earlier on Friday. But the Russian emergencies ministry said its pilots had managed to make a hard landing and that everyone on board had survived.

https://p.dw.com/p/3waBa
Russland Antonov AN-28
The plane that briefly went missing was an Antonov AN-28 like this one, operated by a regional Siberian airlineImage: Sergei Savostyanov/TASS&dpa/picture alliance

Everybody on board a Russian passenger plane survived when it made an emergency landing in Siberia on Friday. According to Interfax, there were two pilots and 16 passengers on board.

The Antonov-28 plane came down in the city of Tomsk after being reported as missing earlier. 

Russia's emergencies ministry said two helicopters had been sent to search for the plane, but it found everyone alive and began helping survivors at the site.

Pilots Anatoly Prytkov, 56, and Faruh Khasanov, 32, were credited with landing the aircraft safely in rough terrain after one of its two engines failed.

What happened during the flight?

The plane's emergency beacon had been activated earlier, signaling it was in distress.

Radio contact was lost at around midday local time (0500 GMT) after the plane disappeared from radars during the one hour and 20 minute flight.

The Antonov-28 is a small short-range, Soviet-designed turboprop used by many small carriers across Russia and some other countries.

Two weeks ago, an Antonov-26 plane carrying 28 people crashed in the far east of the country.

Russian media said the six crew members and 22 passengers died in that incident.

Officials later found the wreckage on a coastal cliff side and in the sea. The aircraft involved had reportedly been in service since 1982.

Tributes to the victims of those who died in the crash earlier this month
Flowers were laid in memory of those who died in the crash earlier this JulyImage: Yelena Vereshchaka/dpa/TASS/picture alliance

Questions over safety of Soviet-era aircraft

The Soviet-era plane type, still used for military and civilian flights in some countries, has been involved in dozens of deadly crashes since it entered service around 50 years ago.

Russia, once notorious for plane accidents, has improved its air traffic safety record in recent years.

Yet poor aircraft maintenance and lax safety standards still persist, and the country has seen several deadly air accidents recently.

The last major air accident took place in May 2019, when a Sukhoi Superjet belonging to the flag carrier airline Aeroflot crash-landed and caught fire on the runway of a Moscow airport, killing 41 people.

jf/msh (AFP, Reuters, dpa)