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Home / Travel

Dramatic footage shows Russian Aeroflot copilot's miraculous escape from burning plane

By Stephanie Bedo
news.com.au·
8 May, 2019 08:23 PM3 mins to read

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Russian pilot escapes burning plane / ABC

This is the incredible moment copilot Maxim Kuznetsov jumps from the black smoke-filled cockpit of the burning Russian plane he helped emergency land.

But what Mr Kuznetsov did next shocked onlookers even more as they watched him fend off emergency crews trying to help, instead scrambling to get up the evacuation slide, reports news.com.au.

New footage of the horror event that killed 41 of the 79 people on board the doomed Aeroflot Sukhoi SSJ100 Superjet, which took off from Moscow on Sunday, shows Mr Kuznetsov's attempts to return and rescue others still trapped.

Russian news site MKRU reported Mr Kuznetsov also saved the flight documentation.

Pilot Denis Evdokimov has said Mr Kuznetsov was the first to leave the cockpit, but did not elaborate on how he followed.

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The flight was in the air for just 28 minutes before returning to make an emergency landing while still heavy with unburned fuel, which ignited as the aircraft hit the runway.

Crew members were reportedly diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning during the ordeal, with both pilots hospitalised.

Footage shows how Mr Kuznetsov attempted to climb back to the smoke-filled cabin.

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While it's hard to depict exactly what happens, after Mr Kuznetsov makes it up the ladder two black objects slide down one after another, before he comes down again.

Onlookers were shocked as he tried to scramble up the evacuation slide. Photo / Supplied
Onlookers were shocked as he tried to scramble up the evacuation slide. Photo / Supplied

Mr Evdokimov reportedly said during that time he opened the cabin door and supervised the evacuation, while Mr Kuznetsov grabbed the important documents.

Aviation experts have said the documents should contain vital information on the flight's operation.

Investigators continue to probe how a lightning strike led to such a disastrous crash-landing.

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A survivor has expressed his dismay that some passengers delayed the evacuation by grabbing their belongings — but asked that they not be persecuted.

"I do not know what to say about people who ran out with bags," Mikhail Savchenko said in a translated post on Facebook.

"God is their judge."

Mr Savchenko also thanked the crew for doing "everything promptly and clearly".

"If it weren't for them, there would be many more victims," he said.

Russian television channel Ren TV posted what it said was the conversation between the pilots and air traffic control which showed Mr Evdokimov remained calm as he requested an emergency landing and did not assess the situation as critical.

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The co-pilot is spotted climbing out of the cockpit window. Photo / Supplied
The co-pilot is spotted climbing out of the cockpit window. Photo / Supplied

Sources in the investigation told Kommersant newspaper the Aeroflot pilots made a number of errors including flying into a thunderstorm and landing with a full tank rather than circling to use up fuel.

Investigators are still examining the black boxes from the plane and have so far given no official reason for the crash.

Meanwhile, a video also emerged showing unidentified officials at the airport laughing as they shot footage of the fatal landing.

A statement released by Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow said the officials — who were not employees of the airport company or Aeroflot — would be "punished in the strictest possible way".

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