China News Service, December 7th. According to the Russian satellite network quoted by the Russian "Kommersant" report, on May 5, 2019, a Sukhoi Super 100 (SSJ100) airliner of Aeroflot made an emergency landing due to a lightning strike. Unexpectedly, a fire broke out on landing, killing at least 41 people.
At present, the relatives of the victims are suing the Paris court, demanding compensation from the responsible party for moral and material losses.
On May 5, 2019 local time, the Aeroflot airliner (SSJ100) flying from Moscow to Murmansk returned to Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport due to a malfunction and caught fire during an emergency landing.
According to reports, the defendants in the case are 8 companies that produce equipment for aircraft, including 5 French companies, 1 German company, and 1 American company, as well as Aeroflot, which is an aircraft operating unit.
The plaintiff’s representative believed that the SSJ100 aircraft did not meet the airworthiness standards for lightning protection, so that it could not complete an emergency landing after being struck by lightning during the flight.
So far, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) has only issued a preliminary report on air crashes. The report pointed out that the equipment and systems of SSJ100 are working normally except for the moment of lightning strike.
The investigation is still ongoing.
The lawyer in charge of the case, Kuhalashvili, said: “Because the plane crash was caused by a large number of equipment failures, we therefore decided to hold the manufacturers of these supporting equipment accountable because they are legally responsible for the quality of the finished products. According to French law,'manufacturers are responsible for damage caused by defects in their products, regardless of whether it has a contractual relationship with the victim'."
According to previous reports, on the evening of May 5, 2019, a Russian Airlines SSJ100 aircraft flying from Moscow to Murmansk returned to Sheremetyevo and implemented a hard landing after 28 minutes of flight.
When landing, the aircraft's landing gear broke and the engine caught fire.
According to data from the Russian Hydrometeorological Center, thunderstorms were observed in Moscow region that day.
According to data from the Russian Investigation Commission, the air crash caused 41 deaths out of 78 people on board.
The main possible causes of the accident are the lack of skills of pilots, dispatchers, and technical inspection personnel, as well as aircraft failures and poor weather conditions.