A Boeing airliner crash left 50 people dead in Russia on Sunday. The Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 went down in Kazan, killing everyone on board.
The Boeing 737 hit the runway and exploded in a ball of fire in Sunday's accident. The Tatarstan airlines flight from Moscow was attempting to abort the landing so it could approach again, but the place crashed. The 44 passengers and six crew members on board were killed, Reuters reports.
Flight U363 had taken off from Domodedovo airport at 6:25 p.m. and crashed about an hour later.
The 23-year-old plane had no technical problems reported before the flight and it had received regular maintenance before the flight. Both of the pilots had many years of flight experience. However according to Reuters, the plane lost altitude quickly and the fuel tank exploded when it hit the runway. There were high winds in Kazan. Flights to and from the airport were delayed until midday on Monday.
Among the victims were the son of he president of the oil-rich province of Tatarstan and the regional head of the FSB intelligence service. There was one foreigner from Britain.
Kazan is located about 500 miles east of Moscow. It is the capital of the oil-rich region of Tatarstan.
Boeing could not comment on the cause of the crash, but the company released a statement to the families of those who were killed.
"Boeing's thoughts are with those affected by the crash of the Tartarstan air company flight. Boeing is prepared to provide technical assistance to the investigating authority as it investigates the accident," the airline said according to Reuters.
Russia has one of the worst air traffic safety records in the world. The country has an accident rate almost three times the world average. Among some big crashes were one in April 2012 in which 31 people were killed shortly after the plane took off in Siberia and a September 2011 crash in which 44 people, including a major league ice hockey team were killed.
The Boeing 737 is the most popular passenger jet in the world. However there have been 170 Boeing 737 crashes since the aircraft was made.
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