“The panic began, the crush”: what is known about the hard landing of the aircraft in Barnaul

During the landing of a Boeing 767 of Azur Air in Barnaul, the right landing gear caught fire. The landing was tough, at least 49 people were affected, according to the Ministry of Emergencies. No one was seriously injured. In total there were 344 people on board - 334 passengers and 10 crew members.

“There are no seriously injured, 49 people have applied for various help. The situation regarding the provision of medical assistance to passengers is under the control of the Minister of Health of the Altai Territory and is quickly transferred to the Governor Viktor Tomenko, ”the website of the Altai Ministry of Emergency Situations says.

The incident occurred around 21:20 (17:20 Moscow time), when a plane flying from the Vietnamese city of Cam Ran landed in Barnuale. TASS, citing the West Siberian Investigation Department for Transport of the IC of Russia, reported that the number of victims increased to 56 people.

“The number of people who asked for help at the airport’s medical unit this morning was 56 people, one passenger is in the hospital,” the agency’s interlocutor said.

The rest of the injured doctors were allowed to go home, she stressed.

“The airline will provide financial assistance”

The landing gear caught fire after landing, when the plane was traveling along the runway, the airline said. Despite the fire, the aircraft itself stopped at the end of the runway. After stopping, the crew immediately began the evacuation.

It is noted that at least three people have a suspicion of a fracture. Azur Air assured that it will provide material assistance to the victims. At the same time, the company claims that there were 331 people on board.

“On board were 331 people. Thanks to the coordinated and professional actions of the Azur Air crew, all passengers were urgently evacuated, the company’s website says. - The airline will provide material assistance to affected passengers. Azur Air makes every effort to solve the current situation, the operational headquarters is working. ”

The airline is also ready to accommodate nonresident passengers in the hotel, and the rest to pay the way to the house. For those who had to take another flight on the same plane from Barnaul to Kamran, a reserve board was allocated. A company representative told TASS that he had already taken off.

“The reserve board flew to Camran, with 366 passengers on board,” he said.

Other flights departing from Barnaul airport will depart without delay, the government press service said.

“The plane, which will fly to Vietnam instead of the injured, will arrive in Barnaul in a few hours. Morning flights from Barnaul for reasons related to the operation of the airport will not be delayed, ”TASS quoted the press service as saying.

• Barnaul Airport
• © Frame: RT video

“The landing was not tough”

As passengers told the video agency RT Ruptly, a fire occurred during a second landing attempt. The first time the aircraft touched the landing gear landing gear three times, after which it made a circle above the airport

“The landing gear hit three times and we took off again. That is, we made an additional circle, went on a second landing. In principle, they landed successfully, but they did not let us out of the plane. Naturally, panic, stampede, screams began, ”said Evgenia Antipova.

In addition to the incident during landing, the flight itself went fine, the woman added. According to her, people were injured not because of a landing, but as a result of a panic.

“The landing was not hard, but when they descended the airways (passengers. - RT ), they panicked each other in a panic, you know. Concussions, maybe fractures, ”Antipova said.

According to Viktor Makovitsky, who was also aboard the plane, after landing, people felt calm - they applauded the pilots and had already begun to get their bags out of the compartments above the seats.

“The stewardess is well done, approaches and says:“ The plane has not reached the point yet, sit down. ” People sat down, and at that time, most likely, they (crew. - RT ) opened the exits - so that there would be no panic, ”he said.

His wife, Svetlana Makovitsky, noted that people at the head and tail of the plane were evacuated, and those who were sitting in the middle remained inside until smoke appeared in the cabin.

“They were the very first ones who jumped out, and we sit - (they said. - RT ) wait and wait ... We turn around - there is no tail, no front. And already the smoke has gone. Well, how can that be? Nobody personally invited us or told us to go to the exit. We ourselves. This crowd with children began to scream, scream, the mother of the child lost, let's jump, ”said Svetlana.

Verification in progress

In connection with the incident, the Deputy Prime Minister of the region Igor Stepanenko and the head of the Altai State Ministry of Emergency Situations Alexander Makarov, on behalf of the Governor Viktor Tomenko, held a meeting of the Commission for Emergency Situations of the Altai Territory.

The main issues that were considered as part of the commission’s work are identifying priority measures to help victims. Nonresident passengers who intended to leave from Barnaul for Vietnam will be provided with food and a hotel.

In connection with the incident, the Barnaul Transport Prosecutor's Office began its own inspection. This was reported in the West Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office.

“According to preliminary information, on board the Aur Air aircraft that was flying from Kamran airport, after landing at Barnaul Airport, the right landing gear was smoked. On this fact, the Barnaul Transport Prosecutor’s Office is checking the implementation of the safety legislation, ”the department’s website says.

According to the Ministry of Transport of the Altai Territory, all airport services worked quickly. So, at 21:13 the aircraft commander reported a “possible fire” to the landing gear, at 21:15 the rescue services were already on the plane, and at 21:26 the smoke was eliminated.

“On board were 344 people, including 10 crew members. The landing of some passengers was carried out on emergency ramps. In this case, none of the citizens received serious bodily harm. All airport services, including rescue, worked quickly, ”the website of the regional Ministry of Transport says.

It is noteworthy that on the day of the incident, rescue services at the Barnaul airport conducted exercises to eliminate the ignition of the aircraft. According to legend, lightning struck the aircraft, after which it was forced to make an emergency landing, during which the right wing was destroyed and the fuel caught fire.

• Emergencies Ministry exercises at Barnaul airport, September 25, 2019
• globallookpress.com
• © EMERCOM of Russia

“After the completion of the exercises, representatives of various services summed up the results, discussed in detail the course of the event, and also decided to interact more actively and organize joint work in the future. The goal is to ensure the safety of citizens in the event of a real threat, ”the Emergencies Ministry website says.