"We went to the left, as there were settlements ahead": what is known about the plane crash in Tatarstan

On Sunday, October 10, a plane crash took place in the Menzelinsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan, which killed at least 16 people.

Six victims of the plane crash L-410 with tail number RF-94591 were hospitalized in hospitals in Naberezhnye Chelny and Kazan.

Later, a Superjet EMERCOM of Russia flew after them, which will deliver to the site a working group headed by Acting Minister Alexander Chupriyan and evacuate the wounded to Moscow.

The aircraft is equipped with medical modules that allow monitoring the condition of the injured.

During the flight, they will be accompanied by doctors of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, TASS reported.

On board the crashed L-410, which belonged to DOSAAF of Russia, there were two pilots and 20 paratroopers, including members of the local flying club.

The details of the accident were told by the president of the republic, Rustam Minnikhanov, who arrived at the crash site.

According to him, the plane took off at 09:05 local time.

Having risen to a height of 70 m, the pilots reported a left engine failure and requested an emergency landing.

“The flight did not last long, they left to the left, as there were settlements ahead, they were going to land, but the height did not allow ... There was a Gazelle car, they touched the wing, and the aircraft turned over,” Minnikhanov said.

He instructed the authorities to prepare proposals for providing assistance to the families of those killed and injured in the plane crash.

October 11 is declared a day of mourning in Tatarstan.

The press service of the head of the republic specified that the main injuries of the victims of the accident are fractures.

"The absence of head and neck injuries allows maintaining a stable condition of the victims," ​​the message says.

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It is noted that on board the crashed plane were residents of Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Mari El, Udmurtia, as well as Ulyanovsk, Kirov and Chelyabinsk regions.

"Among those killed in the plane crash there are nine Tatarstan residents, four residents of Bashkortostan, two from Udmurtia and one from the Chelyabinsk region," the president's press service said.

On the fact of the crash, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Part 3 of Art.

263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violation of traffic safety rules and the operation of air transport, resulting in the death of two or more persons by negligence).

As part of the investigation, experts seize pre-flight documentation, interview eyewitnesses of the tragedy, and also carry out other investigative actions to find out all the circumstances of the incident.

The head of the Menzelinsky branch of the Central Aero Club of the Republic of Tatarstan DOSAAF Ravil Nurmekhametov, in an interview with RT, said that the pilots who died in the plane crash were experienced pilots.

“Very large (plaque. -

).

Everyone has over ten thousand hours, ”he said.

In turn, the DOSAAF of Russia said that all flights of the L-410 were suspended pending the investigation of the causes of the plane crash in Tatarstan.

They also reported that, according to preliminary data, a technical breakdown was the cause of the tragedy, and stressed that the aircraft crew had done everything possible to save the passengers.

The head of the Menzelinsky municipal district, Aydar Salakhov, said that the crashed plane was staffed in the normal mode, which implies the presence of 20 people and two crew members on board.

Earlier in the media it was reported that the board could be overloaded.

According to Salakhov, the reason for the engine failure could be a bird hit.

He also said that the plane was undergoing the necessary pre-flight examinations, and its maintenance was recently carried out.

According to data from open sources, the vessel has been in operation since 1987, and since 2014 it belongs to DOSAAF.

“The plane, although old in age, has little flight time.

Every year they carry out research, admission is given, "- explained the head of the municipal district.

Note that in 2021, two more L-410s crashed in Russia.

In September, an aircraft of this model made a hard landing in the Irkutsk region, as a result of which four people were killed.

In June, in the Kemerovo region, a plane crashed, on board which were also athletes-paratroopers.

Five people died, another 14 were injured.