The Ural Airlines plane with over 160 people aboard has touched down safely, in a field The Ural Airlines plane after its emergency landing © Emergencies Ministry
A Urals Airlines passenger plane has made a forced landing in a wheat field in Russia’s Novosibirsk Region. Passengers told the media they have yet to fully comprehend how lucky they are to come out of the incident alive.
“Well done, you beautiful guy,” a man named Yury said of the pilot of the distressed Airbus A320. “We landed softer than on asphalt.”
An emergency arose on Tuesday as the airliner was making a scheduled flight from the seaside resort of Sochi to Omsk, a major city in Siberia. However, it was diverted to Novosibirsk, further to the east. The unexpected landing took place about 200 km short from the destination.
Passengers gave credit to the crew for remaining calm and keeping people’s spirits up.
“I am very grateful to the crew and the pilots for saving us. It was a miracle,” a female passenger told the local news outlet Gorsite.
“It’s good that we didn’t splash into the water. The weather is chilly,” Yury joked, speaking to the same outlet. The Ubinsk district, where the plane ended up, is dotted with multiple shallow lakes and bogs.
The flight was carrying 161 people, including 23 children and 6 crew members. It was piloted by Sergey Belov, who happens to have a namesake who likewise works for the same airline. The other Belov kindly asked journalists not to ask him questions that he cannot answer, when the media rushed to contact him after the news broke.