Ural Airlines Flight 1383
 RA-73805 after emergency landing in a wheat field | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 September 2023 |
| Summary | Emergency landing due to low fuel |
| Site | Near Kamenka, Ubinsky District,[1] Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A320-214 |
| Operator | Ural Airlines |
| Registration | RA-73805 |
| Flight origin | Sochi-Adler, Russia |
| Destination | Omsk, Russia |
| Occupants | 165 |
| Passengers | 159 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 165 |
Ural Airlines Flight 1383 was a scheduled flight from Sochi/Adler to Omsk in Russia. On 12 September 2023, the Airbus A320-214 operating the flight and carrying 159 passengers and 6 crew made an emergency landing in a field. Everyone on board survived and no injuries were reported.[2][3][4][5]
Accident[edit]
While on its final approach to Omsk, the crew initiated a go-around and reported a hydraulic failure affecting the brakes. They diverted to Novosibirsk, which has longer runways (3,600 metres [11,800 ft] compared to 2,500 metres [8,200 ft]). The distance between the two airports is about 600 km (370 mi). However, the landing gear door remained open due to the hydraulic failure, resulting in increased fuel consumption exacerbated by strong headwinds. Possibly unable to reach Novosibirsk, the crew selected an open field for an emergency landing. The aircraft landed near the village of Kamenka, about 180 km (110 mi) from Novosibirsk.[5]
It was suggested that the incident occurred as a result of Russian airlines having difficulty providing their planes with spare parts due to international sanctions on Russia as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, Ural Airlines denied using any non-certified spare parts.[6]
Ural Airlines stated that the aircraft sustained minor damage but would "most likely be able to fly in the future" after repairs to the landing gear attachment points in particular. The engines ingested "a small quantity of soil" and would need some fan blades to be replaced.[7]
Aircraft[edit]
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The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320-214, registered RA-73805 with serial number 2166. It made its first flight on 2 February 2004 and was delivered soon after to Air Arabia on 23 March 2004 as A6-ABB, on the UAE's aircraft registry. Exactly seven years later, on 23 March 2011, it was acquired by Air Arabia Maroc and re-registered on the Moroccan registry as CN-NME. On 8 May 2013, it was delivered to Ural Airlines and placed on the Bermudan registry as VP-BMW. It was re-registered on the Russian registry as RA-73805 on 25 March 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is fitted with two CFM International CFM56-5B4/P turbofan engines.[8][9]
Investigation[edit]
The Federal Air Transport Agency has opened an investigation into the accident,[10] while the Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a separate criminal investigation under Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Russia (violation of traffic safety rules and operation of air transport).[11] Both pilots were suspended from flying until the investigation is finished.[12]
Fate of the aircraft[edit]
Shortly after the accident, Ural Airlines management announced their intention to have the aircraft take off from the field under its own power after a thorough inspection, but later reports in Russian media suggested that the plane was to be dismantled and used for parts.[13]
In December 2023, Sergei Skuratov, director of Ural Airlines, stated that contrary to previous plans the plane would not be taking off from the field again, saying that this course of action would not make "economic sense".[14]
Discussions then shifted to the possibility of dismantling the plane and transporting its parts to Novosibirsk Airport where it could be reassembled, but on 12 January, the airline decided to scrap the aircraft.[15] The aircraft continues to rest in place, surrounded by a corrugated iron fence and watched by a private security company.[13] According to Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, Ural Airlines has paid around one million Rubles (c. US$11,315) for the use of the field until September 2024.[16]
Reaction[edit]
Prior to a meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum, Russian president Vladimir Putin praised the flight crew for their actions.[17]
See also[edit]
- Ural Airlines Flight 178 – Incident where an aircraft made an emergency landing in a cornfield soon after takeoff in 2019
References[edit]
- ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (12 September 2023). "Ural A320 lands in field while operating Russian domestic flight". Flight Global.
- ^ "Incident Airbus A320-214 RA-73805". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "Ural Airlines jet carrying 159 passengers lands in a Siberian field". euronews. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "Russia: Ural Airlines Flight U61383 makes emergency landing in Novosibirsk region the morning of Sept. 12". Crisis24. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ a b Hradecky, Simon (12 September 2023). "Accident: Ural A320 at Omsk and enroute on Sep 12th 2023, hydraulic failure, ran out of fuel, forced landing in a field". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "Russian airliner forced to land in open field". BBC News. BBC. 12 September 2023.
- ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (27 September 2023). "Ural Airlines expects removal of stranded A320 to take months". Flight Global.
- ^ "RA-73805 Ural Airlines Airbus A320-214". www.planespotters.net. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "Ural Airlines RA73805 (Airbus A320-214)". airfleets.net. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "Росавиация сформировала комиссию для расследования причин инцидента с самолетом" [The Federal Air Transport Agency has formed a commission to investigate the causes of the incident with the plane]. TASS (in Russian). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "СКР возбудил уголовное дело после аварийной посадки самолета Сочи — Омск" [The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case after the emergency landing of the Sochi-Omsk plane]. Kommersant (in Russian). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Что известно об экстренной посадке Airbus A320 под Новосибирском" [What is known about the emergency landing of an Airbus A320 near Novosibirsk]. TASS (in Russian). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ a b Zwerger, Patrick (10 January 2024). "Russlands Weizenfeld-Airbus wohnt jetzt zur Miete" [Russia's wheat field Airbus now lives on rent]. Flug Revue (in German).
- ^ Hoeveler, Patrick (8 December 2023). "Hickhack um Ural Airlines A320 geht weiter" [The squabble over Ural Airlines A320 continues]. Flug Revue (in German).
- ^ "Ural Airlines finally took decision to scrap the A320 that landed in a field near Novosibirsk". AIRLIVE. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ Alexeev, Vadim (9 January 2024). "Авиакомпания на год арендовала пшеничное поле, на котором сел самолет под Новосибирском" [The airline rented a wheat field for a year where the plane landed near Novosibirsk]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Путин поаплодировал летчикам, посадившим самолет в поле под Новосибирском" [Putin applauded the pilots who landed the plane in a field near Novosibirsk]. REN TV (in Russian). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.