Russia probes pilot error after deadly plane blaze

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Russian investigators were on Tuesday considering pilot error as the cause of a crash landing that saw a plane erupt in flames at Moscow's busiest airport and kill 41 people, media reported.

A communications between air traffic controllers and the pilots of a Russian airliner released by Russian television channel Ren TV, which showed the pilot, Denis Yevdokimov, remained calm as he declared an emergency and requested turn back, but didn't assess the situation as critical before making the landing that went disastrously awry, leaving the passenger jet engulfed in flames.

Pilot's error?

Yelena Markovskaya of the Russian Investigative Committee talks to journalists at Sheremetyevo Airport where the aircraft made an emergency landing. /VCG Photo

The Sukhoi Superjet-100 had just flown out of Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday evening when it sent out an emergency signal and circled back, bouncing on the runway and catching fire.

Sources in the investigation told Kommersant newspaper the Aeroflot pilots made several errors including flying into a thunderstorm and landing with a full tank rather than circling to use up fuel.

Various sources told the business daily RBK the pilots opened a cockpit window, potentially fanning the flames, and failed to turn off engines immediately after landing.

Investigators are still examining the black boxes from the plane and have so far given no official reason for the crash.

Pilot Yevdokimov told media the lightning strike shortly after take-off caused the aircraft to lose communication and forced the emergency landing.

The Superjet-100 aircraft catches fire at Sheremetyevo airport outside Moscow, May 5, 2019. /The Investigative Committee of Russia Photo

In the transcript, the pilot issues a distress call to controllers at Sheremetyevo Airport, telling them the plane had been hit by lightning and lost radio communication.

"Pan pan, pan pan, pan pan. Requesting return. 1492, lost radio contact and the plane is burning in lightning," the pilot told controllers, using an emergency signal.

The "pan-pan" signal means there is an urgent situation on-board, but posing no immediate threat to life or the aircraft.

When controllers asked if the plane would require help on landing, the pilot told the controller no and seemed to say he would be able to land as usual.

Controller: "Will some kind of help be necessary?"

Pilot: "No, for now, everything is OK. Normal. Aeroflot 1492."

Controller: "Only problems with [radio] communication, I've understood you right?"

Pilot: "Communication and loss of the plane's automatic controls."

Controller: "Understood."

The remains of the passenger aircraft after crash landing at Sheremetyevo Airport. /VCG Photo

The plane's automatic flight control system was not working, the pilot then added. He confirmed he was going to land using only instruments.

However, instead of touching down smoothly, the plane slammed into the ground too hard, buckling its landing gear and causing the fuselage to bounce up off the tarmac before slamming it down again, bursting its fuel tanks and setting off the fire.

Passengers and crew said they saw a bright light and felt a jolt as the plane entered clouds.

Videos on social media showed the plane landing with a jolt and then speeding along the runway with flames pouring from its fuselage.

People could be seen leaping onto an inflatable slide at the front and running from the blazing plane as columns of black smoke billowed into the sky.

'Fire engine took two minutes'

Ambulances are parked in front of the terminal building of the Sheremetyevo Airport outside Moscow after the hard landing of the Sukhoi Superjet-100, May 5, 2019. /VCG Photo

The first fire engine arrived at the scene at 6.32 p.m., two minutes after the plane landed at 6.30 p.m. Sheremetyevo airport said in a detailed timeline of the incident.

It said that air traffic control had given out an alarm signal one minute after the plane landed, after which fire engines were supposed to arrive at the scene within three minutes according to norms.

The fire was fully extinguished 18 minutes after it broke out, the airport said.

Air traffic control only called for emergency services to go to the runway after talking the pilot through landing, Ren TV reported.

It also released a transcript of communications between emergency services which showed initial confusion over whether passengers had already been evacuated from the plane.

A woman places flowers as she commemorates victims of the incident at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, Russia, May 6, 2019. /VCG Photo

In the footage, several passengers were carrying hand luggage, prompting harsh online criticism.

Some on social media suggested that taking the bags out of lockers could have held up the evacuation of the plane, though no witness accounts confirmed the speculation.

Survivor Oleg Molchanov, who posted a photo of his boarding pass to prove his identity, wrote on an online forum that toxic black smoke filling the cabin within seconds was the reason evacuation from the back rows was extremely difficult.

Ten passengers were hospitalized following the crash, and all were in a stable condition Tuesday, transport minister Yevgeny Dietrich said.

(With input from AFP)