Reuters
- An Ural Airlines flight in Russia made an emergency landing in a cornfield after the plane struck a flock of birds just after taking off.
- No one was killed and there were only a few injuries, mostly minor, in the incident which is drawing comparisons to the 2009 "miracle on the Hudson."
- Dramatic video from inside the plane showed the moment the plane was forced to land.
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An Ural Airlines flight departing Moscow was forced to make an emergency landing on Thursday after it struck a flock of birds causing both engines to fail during its initial climb.
The two pilots managed to land the Airbus A321 aircraft, which was carrying 233 people, according to Reuters, in a corn field outside the city while the plane’s landing gear was up.
No one was killed during the emergency landing, according to the Russian emergencies ministry, while 55 people were reported to have sustained mostly minor injuries — six people were hospitalized.
Video posted online showed the dramatic landing from inside the cabin, as well as the aftermath of the landing.
The incident was being dubbed the "miracle over Ramensk" by Russian press, according to Reuters. The entire flight lasted about two minutes, with the contact with the birds coming moments after the plane left the runway.
The Russian government praised the two pilots as "heroes," and said they would be given state honors.
Reuters
"We congratulate the hero pilots who saved people’s lives," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said to Reuters. "There’s no doubt about this. They will be given awards."
The incident bore similarities to the famed 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson," in which a US Airways flight leaving New York’s LaGuardia Airport similarly lost power to both its engines after striking birds. The pilot in charge, Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger, famously landed the plane on the Hudson River, similarly saving the lives of all passengers.
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Source: Business Insider – dslotnick@businessinsider.com (David Slotnick)