- The 111 people on board the A319 aircraft were filmed praying and shouting
- It is the third aircraft incident in the Russian aviation industry in as many days
Passengers were captured praying and screaming in fear when a plane suddenly depressurized and oxygen masks came off during Russia's third horror flight in as many days.
The 111 people on board were seen offering prayers and shouting in fear as the crew aboard the Airbus A319 lost altitude to deal with the emergency after taking off from Mineralnye Vody spa resort, before plunging into an emergency landing.
Terrifying footage shows the masks being released from the Rossiya state plane, which was en route to St. Petersburg.
One passenger described the terrifying moment the masks fell down about 20 minutes into the flight.
“We began to decline sharply,” they said. “Everyone's masks fell over their heads.”
Another said everyone was “stressed out” and revealed that “kids were screaming.” [and] women were praying'.
The 111 people on board were seen offering prayers and screaming in fear as the crew aboard the Airbus A319 lost altitude to deal with the emergency
One passenger described the terrifying moment the masks fell down about 20 minutes into the flight
Terrifying footage shows the masks being released from the Rossiya state plane, which was headed to St. Petersburg
Another praised the crew, telling Fontanka News: “It was very scary. But the flight attendants were fearless and carried water [to passengers]. They smiled'.
According to reports, the plan returned 'safely' to the same airport where it had taken off, where it was met by firefighters and ambulances.
Russia is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of aircraft incidents, with reports suggesting that Western sanctions are hampering aircraft service and maintenance, and there are difficulties in obtaining spare parts.
Just a day earlier, “micro-explosions” sparked a fire in both engines of a Boeing 737 S7 plane en route to Moscow from Nobosibirsk, Russia's third-largest city.
Passengers on board said the fires started as the plan was taking off on the runway.
The pilots immediately called for an emergency landing and landed the plane safely at Novosibirsk's Tolmachevo Airport, with no casualties among passengers or crew.
The captain told passengers upon landing that both engines were “inoperative” and that the plane had to be towed from the runaway after the brakes overheated.
And a day earlier, a Tu-204 cargo plane was involved in an engine explosion heard from the ground after taking off from Ulan-Ude, Siberia.
The S7 plane carrying 175 passengers flew from Novosibirsk, Russia's third largest city, to the capital Moscow. The fires started while the plane was on the runway, passengers said
Another plane caught fire after taking off from Ulan-Ude in Siberia on Thursday
Terrifying footage showed the plane on fire as it jettisoned fuel and had to make an emergency landing.
An investigation is underway by the Public Prosecution Service for Eastern Siberia.
According to reports, airlines in Russia have been asking their staff since 2022 not to record equipment malfunctions in flight logs.
In the first eight months of this year, 120 plane crashes involving civilian aircraft of Russian airlines occurred in Russia. UT has more than doubled in recent years, despite significantly fewer flights due to the ongoing war with Ukraine.