Air crash kills 50 in Russia

Air crash kills 50 in Russia

International media sources report that a Boeing 737 airliner crashed on Sunday in the Russian city of Kazan, killing all 50 people on board. 

The Tatarstan airlines flight from Moscow had been trying to abort its landing in order to make a second approach when it crashed, killing all 44 passengers and six crew on board, emergency officials said.

Reuters reports that the son of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, Irek, was among those killed in the crash, as was the head of the regional Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Antonov, according to a passenger list whose authenticity was confirmed by the regional government.

Flight U363 reportedly took off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport at 6:25 pm (1425 GMT) and crashed just over an hour later, emergency officials said. The leased plane was reportedly 23 years old.

There were high winds and above-zero temperatures over the airport in central Russia and flights to and from the airport were halted until midday on Monday.

A spokesman for state aviation oversight agency Rosaviatsia said authorities would search for the flight recorders.

The plane had reportedly been forced to make an emergency landing a year earlier on November 26 due to problems with “cabin depressurization” shortly after takeoff, a law enforcement source told Interfax news agency. No one was hurt that time.

According to Reuters, Boeing officials had no immediate comment on the circumstances of the crash, but issued a statement.  “Boeing's thoughts are with those affected by the crash of the Tatarstan air company flight.  Boeing is prepared to provide technical assistance to the investigating authority as it investigates the accident,” the statement says.

In Soviet times, flag carrier Aeroflot had a virtual monopoly of the airline industry, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a multitude of small private companies emerged.