2023-09-12 14:26:15
When the first pictures from Siberia hit the Internet on the morning of September 12, 2023, showing an Airbus A320 from Ural Airlines making an emergency landing on a meadow, it may have been like déjà vu for some observers. A good four years ago, on August 15, 2019, an A321 from the same Russian airline produced similar images. At that time it was near Zhukovsky Airport just outside Moscow, from which the Airbus had recently taken off – and then lost power on both engines due to a bird strike. The pilots had the presence of mind to maneuver their damaged jet into a corn field two kilometers from the airport. There they made a courageous belly landing – and were later hailed as heroes by the press because no one on board was injured during the emergency landing.
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There is an Airbus on the field
The case that is now being reported from the Siberian village of Kamenka (near Ubinskoye) literally suggests itself as a comparison – even though, according to current knowledge, the circumstances of this second Ural outlanding are somewhat different. This time, however, the cockpit crew managed to bring their A320 with the registration RA-73805 to a stop in an agricultural field without breaking. The emergency landing went so smoothly that the 159 passengers and six crew members were all able to get out of the plane themselves and take in the scenery from outside in an almost relaxed mood. Only one person who suffered from high blood pressure needed medical help, writes the Tass news agency. Meanwhile, the crew posed in front of the Airbus standing in the field for a souvenir photo, which later appeared on the Ural Telegram channel.
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Novosibirsk as an alternative destination
But how did the unexpected ride into the countryside come regarding? And how did the plane get to Novosibirsk Oblast when, according to the flight plan, it should have landed in the city of Omsk, 430 kilometers to the west? According to media reports, the cause might be a hydraulic problem. At least this is what the pilots reported when they were already on their final approach to Omsk airport with their A320 under flight number U61383 from Sochi. Probably due to fears that the brakes might fail as a result of the problem and that the 2,500-meter runway in Omsk was therefore presumably too short for landing, the crew aborted the approach at an altitude of 600 meters and instead made their way to Novosibirsk. The runway at the Tomalchovo airport there, which was 3,600 meters long, seemed to be more suitable for them.
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No fuel until Novosibirsk
However, the plan didn’t quite work, as evidenced by the emergency landing around 200 kilometers before reaching the Tomalchowo runway. The most obvious reason for this is that the Airbus simply ran out of fuel on the way to the alternative airport. Ural Airlines managing director Sergei Kuratov also confirmed this in an interview with the RIA Novosti agency. According to Kuratov, the pilot in charge, Sergei Belov, 32, made the right decision not to land in Omsk, but then noticed on the way to Novosibirsk that the kerosene reserves were not enough.
via Twitter
Somewhat intact, despite landing outside in the field: Ural wants to get the A320 fit once more if possible.
Flaps and landing gear extended
According to Kuratow, the reason for this was that the A320’s landing flaps, landing gear and slats were extended the entire time – the aircraft was on approach to land at the time of the hydraulic failure. Since kerosene consumption was therefore much higher than normal, reserves did not reach Novosibirsk. Normally, the route would not have been a problem with the fuel supply on board, the airline boss emphasized in a press conference. Kuratow also emphasized the effort to repair the Airbus that made an emergency landing. It remains to be seen whether this will succeed and how he will then get away from his “field airfield”. Zhukovsky’s Ural-A321 was scrapped on site at the time.
Investigations are ongoing
The Russian aviation authority Rosawiatsiya said that the crew reported on the way that they were running out of fuel, sent the transponder emergency code 7700 and looked for a suitable area for the emergency landing. A commission of accident investigators has already taken on the case. An investigation has also been initiated “due to violations of safety regulations for air traffic operations”.
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