Plane That Crash-Landed In Moscow

[Yaman02]

The Sukhoi Superjet-100 had just flown out of Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday evening when it sent out an emergency signal and circled back, bouncing on the runway and catching fire.

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.

Various sources told the business daily RBK the pilots opened a cockpit window, potentially fanning the flames, and failed to turn off engines immediately after landing.

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

Pilot Denis Yevdokimov earlier said the lightning strike shortly after take-off caused the aircraft to lose communication and forced the emergency landing.

Passengers and crew said they saw a bright light and felt a jolt as the plane entered clouds.

Videos on social media showed the plane landing with a jolt and then speeding along the runway with flames pouring from its fuselage.

People could be seen leaping onto an inflatable slide at the front and running from the blazing plane as columns of black smoke billowed into the sky.