Passenger Plane Crashes In Southern Russia

[xxMATTGxx]

A passenger jet has crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don killing all 55 passengers and seven crew on board, officials say.

The FlyDubai Boeing 737-800, coming from Dubai, missed the runway as it attempted to land at 03:50 local time (00:50 GMT) on Saturday.

It is not clear what caused the crash but poor visibility and high winds are being considered as a factor.

There were reports of a fire or an explosion on board.

Reports say the plane abandoned its initial attempt to land and circled for two hours before crashing at the second attempt.

It came down about 250m (800ft) short of the start of the runway in Rostov, some 950km (600 miles) south of Moscow.

Most of the passengers on board flight FZ981 were Russian, the regional governor said. Another official said three foreigners were on the passenger list, Reuters reported, but this has not been confirmed.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35850167

Not good news at all, RIP

[xxMATTGxx]

Some more images:

[xxMATTGxx]

The captain of the FlyDubai jet which crashed in Russia last Saturday was due to leave the airline, citing fatigue, colleagues say.

The Boeing 737-800 crash in Rostov-on-Don killed all 62 people on board, including seven crew.

Pilots speaking anonymously to the BBC say fatigue was a contributory factor in the accident - claims FlyDubai says relate to "confidential information".

One pilot reported previously falling asleep at the controls from exhaustion.

"We are unable to disclose confidential information relating to our employees," a FlyDubai spokesperson said.

"It is important, not least out of respect for the families involved, that we do not speculate about the circumstances of this tragic accident, whilst the independent investigating authorities carry out their work."

The pilots who spoke to the BBC say their colleagues are at "significant and obvious risk" from fatigue. One of the sources has already resigned and another says he will quit.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35855678

There has been a lot of reports and rumors from current pilots and ex-pilots of FlyDubai that they incredibly pressured and work a hell of a lot of hours without enough rest. So it'll be interesting to see if this is actually true.

[Absently]

jesus, that's so rough if it is true. especially if it's something that could have been so easily prevented.. a nice sleep