Russian civil aviation authorities announced that they have finished the investigation of a passenger jet crash at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in May, 2019.
Based on the results of the investigation, authorities are charging the aircraft’s captain with improper operation of the plane’s control during landing, leading to a crash that resulted in the deaths of 41 people.
The SSJ-100, operated by Aeroflot, was bound for Murmansk on May 5. Approximately 30 minutes after departure, it returned to the airport, and burst into flames during a bumpy emergency landing. There were 73 passengers and five crew members on board the aircraft. Forty-one people were killed and 10 were injured.
The captain of the Sukhoi Superjet-100, has pleaded not guilty to violating security regulations. A re-investigation request filed by the pilot’s defense team has been turned down.
The chief of the Main Forensics Directorate at Russia’s Investigative Committee said earlier that most fatalities on board the SSJ-100 were not due to the impact, but were caused by the hazardous fumes from burning plastics.
