UK & World News

  • 10 May 2012, 12:42

Russian Jet Crashed Into Indonesia Volcano

Rescuers searching for a missing Russian-made passenger jet carrying 47 people have found the wreckage of the plane.

The plane went missing in Indonesia during a demonstration flight for potential buyers.

Rescue teams were dispatched to the area south of the capital Jakarta.

Over 200 soldiers, police and members of the air joined the land-based rescue efforts.

"Rescuers on the helicopters could clearly see the wreckage located at the top of Mount Salak," said Gagah Prakoso, a spokesman for the Search and Rescue National Agency.

The video below appeared on Russia's Channel 1 and hailed the new jet in April last year. It features some of the crew

"There is no sign of any of the passengers. We're trying to move in closer to the wreckage now."

Several diplomats from the Russian embassy, potential buyers and aviation journalists were on board what was supposed to be a 50-minute demonstration flight - the second of the day.

The Sukhoi Superjet-100 had taken off from Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma Airport at 2.21pm.

Just 21 minutes into the flight the pilots contacted air traffic control and asked if they could descend from 10,000ft to 6,000ft (3,000m to 1,800m) before dropping off the radar near the the Bogor area.

The plane was flying close to the Salak mountain range and it was raining at the time.

Speaking to local station TVOne, a villager living near the mountains said: "I saw a big plane passing just over my house.

"It was veering a bit to one side, the engine roaring, it seemed to be heading toward Salak, but I didn't hear an explosion or anything."

Developed by the Russian aerospace company Sukhoi in co-operation with Western partners, the plane is the first completely new airliner designed by Russia since the Soviet collapse.

Russia has hoped that the short to mid-range jet, which made its maiden run in 2008, would help it break into international markets dominated by Boeing and Airbus.

what do you think?

15 comments

Lorgar Aurelian

4:45pm on 9/5/2012

I can imagine the order books overflowing after this one...

Score: 12

James Poulton

5:33pm on 9/5/2012

The last words from the pilots before plane dropped off radar "Watch this!"

Score: 10

David Wragg

5:51pm on 9/5/2012

For all its space technology and advanced military hardware, the Russians just can't seem to build a reliable commercial airliner. What would you do if a car broke down on a test drive? Trouble is this seems more serious than a simple breakdown.

Score: 9

Name witheld

6:20pm on 9/5/2012

This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.

Andrew Hogarth

9:31pm on 9/5/2012

maybe it was a training flight for another bomb plot ......oooooopsis

Score: 7

Adrian Wagstaff

10:12pm on 9/5/2012

Sounds a lot like one of the engines failed, to me. He might have been trying to fly it with the other engine by the sounds of it. We 'ave to admit, it's not only Russian planes which that happens to. Our own British planes sometimes develop faults, as do American ones. I don't think you can say Russian planes are no good just because of this and other accidents. A British plane flew back to London the other week, didn't it? It happens quite often, really, although there are millions of passengers through London each year.

Score: 2
2 replies

David Wragg

11:33am on 10/5/2012

The statistics speak for themselves - Russia has a terrible accident rate.

Score: 5

Lorgar Aurelian

12:20pm on 10/5/2012

Most Russian built aircraft are banned from EU airports anyway (the old Yaks and Tupolevs) on grounds of noise. You really can't equate Western machines with theirs.

Score: 2

stevegs850

11:12pm on 9/5/2012

This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.

Rhys Sage

3:28am on 10/5/2012

I remember the first Airbus on a demo flight at Paris airshow. Nobody survived.

Score: 2
2 replies

David Wragg

11:34am on 10/5/2012

That was a demo flight at an airshow - this was an aircraft that has been certfied and is already in passenger service.

Score: 4

Name witheld

12:49pm on 10/5/2012

This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.

Micky Lyden

5:22am on 10/5/2012

Never fly with Russia

Score: 6
1 reply

David Wragg

11:32am on 10/5/2012

Too true, but you will notice that one idiot with no knowledge of aviation marked you down.

Score: 2

David Rankin

11:00am on 10/5/2012

people sat up the back and said a plane never backs into a mountain,???????????????

Score: 4

David Wragg

11:31am on 10/5/2012

Russian-built commercial aircraft have a terrible safety record. This was supposed to mark a change, and no doubt they will work hard to prove that it was pilot error, or even the volcano being in the wrong place!

Score: 2
1 reply

kevin

4:19pm on 10/5/2012

Russian built aircraft are good,pilot training and maintainence not so good, but look how many boeings and western aicraft have gone down before posting silly coments

Score: 1

jonny english

11:43am on 10/5/2012

Here on the continent they are nicknamed Aeroflop

Jim Coulson

12:31pm on 10/5/2012

Getting on board a Russian built aircraft , is the true definition of Russian roulette.

HARLEY1974

3:34pm on 10/5/2012

Take it no-one will be buying it now..:-/

Richard Gould

12:12pm on 11/5/2012

For sale . . . one careful owner!

Score: 1
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