“After studying the reports (about the incident. - RT ), it seems to me that the pilots reacted brilliantly,” Curtis told RIA Novosti.
According to him, all modern aircraft, including the Airbus A321, are designed in such a way as to ensure continued flight and safe landing even if the engine thrust is lost on takeoff.
“It seems that the crew landed about 1 kilometer from the end of the runway. So any actions that the crew took should have been implemented very quickly after the collision, ”the American expert noted.
Former Boeing engineer also expressed confidence that following the results of the investigation, it was the crew’s actions that would be recognized as a key factor that avoided the tragedy.
Earlier, A321 passengers, after arriving in Simferopol on another flight, thanked the crew for their “second birthday”.
The honored pilot of Russia Konstantin Onokhin in an interview with the FAN noted that for a modern pilot to land outside the aerodrome is a very non-standard task, and its implementation indicates the “greatest flight skill” of the A321 pilots.
A321 flew from Zhukovsky airport to Simferopol on the morning of August 15, but shortly after take-off it was forced to make an emergency landing in a corn field due to engine failure, due, according to preliminary data, to the entry of birds.