Hero pilot lands jet seconds after birds disable engines
THE captain of a Russian passenger jet has been hailed as a hero for landing his plane in a field after it collided with a flock of birds seconds after take-off, causing both engines to malfunction.
The event drew comparisons to the 2009 ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ incident when a captain ditched his plane in New York’s Hudson River after a bird strike disabled his engines.
The Ural Airlines A321 carrying 226 passengers and a crew of seven hit the birds as it was taking off from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport en route for Simferopol in Crimea.
Russia’s Rosaviatsiya state aviation agency chief Alexander Neradko told reporters the crew “made the only right decision” to land immediately after both engines malfunctioned, coming down in a cornfield about three miles from the runway.
“The crew has shown courage and professionalism and defully serve the highest state awards,” he said.
The airline said in a statement the pilot shut down the engines to avoid fire breaking out as the plane landed with its fuel tanks loaded. Ural Airlines lauded the crew for making the emergency landing and arranging a quick evacuation.
The company said the captain, 41-year old Damir Yusupov, is a highly experienced pilot who has flown more than 3,000 hours.
“It was quite a feat to keep the plane from stalling and quickly find a place to land,” Viktor Zabolotsky, a former test pilot, said. FLIGHTS were suspended at Shannon Airport for a time yesterday when a plane caught fire before take-off.
Air traffic controllers spotted smoke and flames coming from the Boeing 763 as it taxied along the runway at the Co Limerick airport.
The plane was an Omni Air International 531, which is used to transport US military personnel.
Airport emergency services extinguished an external fire on the undercarriage and the airport was closed until 11.15am.
All passengers and crew were evacuated safely and returned to the terminal building. There were no reports of serious injuries.
Following the incident yesterday, an airport spokesman said: “Shannon Group has confirmed that thanks to the swift response of the Shannon Airport emergency services team, the airport reopened after the successful removal of a plane from the runway.
“We would like to extend our thanks to the IAA (Shannon Tower Business Unit) and our airline partners for their support in the management of the incident.”
A number of flights to England and Scotland were cancelled after the incident.