All 170 occupants of a Utair Boeing 737-800 have escaped after the aircraft suffered severe damage during an overrun on landing at Sochi.
The aircraft, operating flight UT579 from Moscow, appears to have conducted a missed approach before landing on runway 06 just before 03:00 on 1 September.
Utair says the aircraft (VQ-BJI) suffered a runway excursion and its landing gear collapsed, before it came to a halt in a river bed.
The left-hand CFM International CFM56 engine ignited, the carrier adds.
Slides were deployed and all 164 passengers and six crew members were evacuated. Utair says all 170 on board survived the accident.
Meteorological data from Sochi airport indicates that it had been experiencing thunderstorms and rain, and wind gusts exceeding 40kt.
Weather data shortly after the landing indicates a wind direction from the south-west, suggesting a tailwind for aircraft landing on runway 06.
The Interstate Aviation Committee says it has established a commission to investigate the accident.
“As a result of the [excursion] and subsequent fire, the aircraft was seriously damaged,” it states.
NOTAM information issued for Sochi airport after the accident states that the ILS for runway 06/24 is now unserviceable as a result of emergency work in the critical area.
Russia’s emergency services ministry for the Krasnodar region says that it was informed of the accident at 02:59 and that, by 03:15, the fire had been extinguished.
Flight Fleets Analyzer lists VQ-BJI as a 16-year old airframe, originally delivered to Ryanair, and also previously used by Moskva Airlines. It indicates that the jet is owned by SB Leasing Ireland.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
