Video shows fiery aftermath of Russian plane crash
Hundreds of searchers slowly tramped through a snowy field outside Moscow on Monday, looking for body parts, debris and answers after a commercial jet crash killed all 71 aboard.
Saratov Airlines Flight 703, bound for the city of Orsk, crashed Sunday minutes after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo Airport. Investigators have concluded that the twin-engine, An-148 jet exploded when it hit the ground and did not break up in midair, Investigative Committee Spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said.
Dramatic video from a private security camera appears to show, from a distance, the fireball after the plane slams into the ground. Black smoke then rises from site.
Human remains and aircraft debris were scattered over more than 30 acres of difficult, snow-covered terrain. DNA was being used to identify the remains, Petrenko said.
Petrenko said terrorism was considered unlikely. Bad weather, human error and mechanical failure were among the possible causes drawing close attention, she said.
There was no mayday from pilot Valery Gubanov in the moments before the crash, Petrenko said. The voice and data recording black boxes were recovered, authorities said.
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Gubanov was an experienced pilot with more than 5,000 hours of flying time. Alfred Malinovsky, an official with the Russian pilots trade union, told Russian media outlet Interfax that the plane's de-icing system may have failed, allowing ice to foul the engines. But he added that crashes often are the result of multiple factors.
Families of the victims will each get more than $50,000 with other possible compensation to come, Russia's RIA Novosti media outlet reported.
The safety record of the An-148 model airliner was drawing close scrutiny. The airline said it grounded all six of its An-148s pending further investigation.
The An-148 is a twin-engine jet developed by Antonov Corporation less than two decades ago for regional, short-haul routes. The planes first drew the wrath of Russian state airline GTK Rossiya in 2010. The airline claimed the plane was unreliable, citing problems ranging from door locks to engine and auxiliary power failures, according to the website Flightglobal.
In 2011, an Antonov An-148 crashed during a test flight in the Belgorod region of Russia, killing all six crew members. An investigation said the crew permitted the plane to accelerate beyond its maximum safe speed, causing it to break apart in flight.
The An-148 that crashed Sunday, capable of carrying 85 passengers, was manufactured in 2010 and began flying that summer, the state-run Tass news agency reported.
From 2015 to 2017 the plane was not flown because of a shortage of spare parts, but Saratov Airlines spokeswoman Elena Voronova said the plane was properly maintained.