By Kieran Daly in London
The identity of the Sibir/S7 Airlines that crashed at Irkutsk airport in Siberia yesterday morning has been confirmed as a French-registered Airbus A310-300, believed to be owned by Airbus Financial Services.
Airbus itself says the aircraft is F-OGYP (serial number 442), which was built in June 1987 and, according to Flight’s ACAS fleet database, has accumulated more than 59,000h in more than 12,000 flights. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4152 turbofans.
The aircraft was operating Sibir flight number 778 from Moscow Domodedovo airport when it landed at Irkutsk at about 07:50 in showery, overcast weather.
It is not confirmed which end of the airport’s single runway 12/30 was in use in the light winds, but the final location of the crashed aircraft appears to be near the terminal buildings at the western end of the airport.
At 2,765m (9,070ft), the runway is comfortably long enough for an A310 and it is unclear what caused it to go off the end.
Survivors’ accounts on Russian television indicate that there was no warning and that the aircraft may have briefly accelerated after touch-down. This is unconfirmed.
The aircraft finally left the runway and, according to official Russian sources, hit a concrete structure before bursting into flames.
Of the 192 passengers and eight crew, at least 120 are confirmed dead, about 10 escaped relatively unhurt, and about 50 are in hospital. The death toll is expected to rise. Witness accounts speak of people running from the wreckage in flames.
Source: Flight International
