UTair Flight 579
_(2).jpg) VQ-BJI, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 2013 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 September 2018 |
| Summary | Runway overrun, under investigation |
| Site | Sochi International Airport, Sochi, Russia 43°27′07″N 39°57′39″E / 43.451935°N 39.960957°E |
| Total fatalities | 1 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-800 |
| Operator | Utair |
| Registration | VQ-BJI |
| Flight origin | Vnukovo International Airport, Moscow, Russia |
| Destination | Sochi International Airport, Sochi, Russia |
| Occupants | 170 |
| Passengers | 164 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 18 |
| Survivors | 170 (all) |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 1 |
On September 1, 2018, Utair Flight 579, a Boeing 737-800 on a scheduled domestic flight from Vnukovo to Sochi, Russia, with 164 passengers and 6 crew, overran the runway and caught fire while landing at Sochi, injuring 18 occupants. One airport employee died of a heart attack.[1][2]
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the incident was a Boeing 737-8AS ("AS" being the Boeing customer code for Ryanair) with serial number 29937. It was delivered to Ryanair in 2002 and registered in Ireland as EI-CTB. It was taken up by aircraft lessor CIT in 2009 and returned to service in 2010 with Atlant-Soyuz Airlines as VQ-BDU. Following the closure of Atlant-Soyuz, it was leased by Utair (then UTair) in 2011 and re-registered in Bermuda as VQ-BJI.[3]
Accident
The flight departed from Vnukovo Airport at 12:30 am local time with 164 passengers and six crew. The flight crew aborted the first two approaches to Sochi before committing to a third that resulted in the overrun. The aircraft touched down at 2:57 am and overran runway 06, came to rest on the riverbed of the Mzymta and caught on fire.[4] The airport operator reported that the fire was extinguished within eight minutes.[5] Eighteen occupants were injured and Transportation Minister Yevgeny Ditrikh confirmed that an airport employee died of a heart attack.[5] Thunderstorms were reported over Sochi at the time of the accident.[6]
Investigation
Russia's Investigative Committee launched a probe into the crash, with a Southern Transport Department official stating that "A criminal investigation has been opened into the emergency landing...on suspicion of inadequate services with a risk to clients' health."[7]
References
- ^ "Jet crashes on landing in Russian city". BBC News. September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ "Accident: UTAir B738 at Sochi on Sep 1st 2018, overran runway on landing". avherald.com. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ "VQ-BJI UTair Aviation Boeing 737-8AS(WL)". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ "Over a dozen injured after plane catches fire in Russia". New York Post. September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Airport worker dies after plane's crash landing in Russia". September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-8AS (WL) VQ-BJI Adler/Sochi Airport (AER)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ Sputnik. "At least 18 Injured as Passenger Plane Catches Fire During Landing in Sochi". sputniknews.com. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
