MOSCOW 16 August 2019: A passenger jet made an emergency landing in a field outside of one of Moscow’s airports on Thursday after colliding with a flock of birds, injuring at least 23 people, Associated Press (AP) and Wam quoted Russian officials as saying on Thursday.
The Ural Airlines A321 carrying 226 passengers and a crew of seven hit the birds as it took off on Thursday from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport en route for Simferopol, in Crimea.
The airline said in a statement that the birds got into both of the plane’s engines, causing them to malfunction. The pilot then made an emergency landing in a cornfield about one kilometre from the airport.
Russian health authorities said 23 people, including five children, were taken to the hospital, and all but one were released following check-ups and quick treatment.
Ural Airlines lauded the crew for its professionalism in arranging the evacuation. The company said the captain was a highly experienced pilot who had flown over 3,000 hours, said the AP report.