Workers comb field for clues to Russian plane crash

MOSCOW — Wading through knee-deep snow, hundreds of emergency workers searched a vast field near Moscow on Monday for remains of the 71 victims from the crash of a Russian airliner, and aviation experts began deciphering the jet’s two flight recorders.

Investigators quickly ruled out a terrorist attack in Sunday’s crash of the An-148 regional jet bound for Orsk in the southern Urals. The air disaster has reignited questions, however, about the twin-engine plane that was developed jointly by Russia and Ukraine but phased out of production amid the political crisis between the neighbours.

The model has a spotty safety record, with one previous crash and a string of major incidents in which pilots struggled to land safely. The carrier, Saratov Airlines, has grounded several other An-148s in its fleet pending the crash investigation.

The plane crashed several minutes after taking off from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, and all 65 passengers and the crew of six were killed when the aircraft hit the ground and exploded in a giant fireball.

The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top agency for looking into such disasters, said that before the crash, the plane was intact and there had been no fire on board. Officials would not speculate on possible causes.

The plane’s fuel tanks exploded on impact, gouging a deep crater and scattering wreckage across 30 hectares (74 acres), according to the Emergencies Ministry, which used drones to direct the search. Pieces of the plane and human remains were buried in deep snow.

Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told a cabinet meeting that emergency teams found both flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which will be significant to determining the cause of the crash. Investigators said they have started working on them.

President Vladimir Putin put off a planned trip to Sochi and stayed in Moscow to monitor the investigation Monday. The Kremlin said U.S. President Donald Trump called Putin to express his condolences.

Officials said the search for victims’ remains will take a week. The passengers ranged in age from five to 79, according to a list from the Emergencies Ministry. Most victims were from Orsk, where authorities declared Monday to be an official day of mourning.

Saratov Airlines said the jet had received proper maintenance and passed all the necessary checks before the flight. The plane was built in 2010 for a different airline that operated it for several years before putting it in storage. Saratov Airlines commissioned it last year.

The captain had more than 5,000 hours of flying time, 2,800 of them in an An-148, the airline said. The other pilot had 812 hours of experience, largely in that model.

Another Russian operator that uses the plane, Angara, based in eastern Siberia, said it would keep flying them. The Defence Ministry and other government agencies that also use the aircraft haven’t grounded them either. President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine also has used that model of plane.

Its production in Russia was halted last year, and media reports indicated some carriers experienced a parts shortage.