Flydubai plane crashes in Russia; 62 aboard reported dead
After circling a southern Russian airport for more than two hours because of high ground-level winds and poor visibility, a passenger jet from the United Arab Emirates crashed during a landing attempt, killing all 62 people aboard.
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The flydubai Boeing 737 took off from Dubai and was scheduled to land at the Rostov-on-Don airport at 1:20 a.m. Saturday (6:20 p.m. ET Friday), Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said.nike air max 2016
But it didn't come down -- about 800 feet from a runway -- until 3:50 a.m. By that point, Russian state media reported, there were winds of about 60 mph.
Authorities have ruled out terrorism as a cause of the crash. Instead, according to investigative committee spokeswoman Oksana Kovrizhnaya, they will be looking at three possibilities: technical issues, severe weather and human error.nike air max 2016
Kovrizhnaya said the investigations will take at least two months, as required by Russian law, but "could be prolonged," according to state-run Sputnik news.
Investigators from UAE, U.S. to join Russian colleagues
The plane's pilot had circled the airport hoping the weather would clear, Russia's emergency minister said. After more than two hours, the pilot attempted to land.
Instead, the aircraft's tail clipped the ground as it approached Rostov-on-Don's airport, killing all 55 passengers and seven crew members.nike air max 2016
The "main phase" of the search operation has been completed, said Vladimir Puchkov, the Russian emergencies minister, according to Sputnik news. The search operation is expected to end at 9 a.m. Sunday.nike air max 2016
The victims' remains have been recovered and sent for forensic analysis, he said.