PHOTOS: Russian pilot does a ‘Sully’, crash-lands plane in field
Damir Yusupov is being hailed as a hero after he makes emergency landing of the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 in cornfield near Moscow after striking a flock of birds; all passengers safe
23 people were hospitalised, including nine children, but that none suffered serious injuries Credit: EastMojo image
A Russian passenger jet with 233 on board hit a flock of birds, forcing it to make an emergency landing in a cornfield nearby Moscow, Russia on ThursdayThe Airbus A321 aircraft of Ural Airlines with 226 passengers and seven crew members flying from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport to Simferopol in Russia-annexed Crimea collided with a flock of birds which created engine troubles shortly after take-off. The plane landed with its engines off and landing gear retracted in a corn field only about a km from the runway
According to reports, the health ministry said 23 people were hospitalised, including nine children, but none suffered serious injuriesThe pilot of the aircraft, Damir Yusupov, is being hailed as a hero by the Russian media. Aviation safety specialist David Learmount, in a Skype interview with Al Jazeera, drew comparisons of the incident with US Airways flight 1549 which performed a landing on the Hudson River in 2009 after striking a flock of geese. The landing was made into an acclaimed Tom Hanks movie Sully.