Passengers survive crash landing in Russian forest

The passengers of a Tu-154 airliner that was en route from Yakutia, Siberia, to Moscow and made a crash landing Tuesday at the Izhma settlement in the Komi Republic, in the north of Russia, have been flown to Moscow by a chartered aircraft.

Many are still suffering from shock after surviving a possible disaster. The pilots’ skills and incredible luck saved the situation. The crew managed to land on a deserted airfield in the midst of a forest despite the fact that almost all equipment failed suddenly when the airliner was at a high altitude.

None of the 72 passengers was injured. The Izhma airfield is suited for receiving helicopters and light planes only, but certainly not medium-range airliners such as the Tupolev Tu-154.  The crew tried to land twice and managed to land the plane only on their third attempt. The passengers are hailing the pilots as heroes.Aviation experts refer to their survival as a miracle.