RUSSIALINK: “A National Disappointment: What Went Wrong With the Sukhoi Superjet 100” – Carnegie Moscow/ Anastasia Dagaeva

“The Sukhoi Superjet 100 … has become a sociopolitical symbol of hope and disappointment. … launched almost 20 years ago as a dream of conquering the world … [but] turn[ing] into a thorn in everyone’s side. It seems that everyone, from government officials to airlines and passengers, is tired of the Superjet, which raises the question of whether the plane should continue to exist. … May 5, a Sukhoi Superjet 100 operated by Russia’s national carrier Aeroflot took off from Moscow … only to return to the airport about 30 minutes later … [making] a hard emergency landing with full fuel tanks … caus[ing] a fire that claimed the lives of 41 of the 78 people on board. The crew … first reported a radio malfunction … then informed dispatchers of an emergency. Harrowing videos of the plane speeding down the runway engulfed in flames evoked strong emotions … not least criticism of the Superjet. After all, it was not the first tragedy involving the plane: during a show flight of the Superjet in Indonesia on May 9, 2012, the plane slammed into a mountain, killing 45 people. …”

Click here for: “A National Disappointment: What Went Wrong With the Sukhoi Superjet 100” – Carnegie Moscow/ Anastasia Dagaeva

[featured image is file photo from another occasion; satellite image of airport also is from another occasion]