All ten crew lost(165 words)

Published: 7/16/2001

The crash of a Rus Airlines commercial Il-76TD with loss of all ten crew on board, near the Chkalovsky air base in the Moscow Region shortly after taking off, has yet again stirred the debate on the overloading of these work horses of Russian cargo transport. The flight recorders have been recovered from the site and are being examined, as are the communications between the aircraft and the air traffic controls during takeoff. The initial reports on the cause of the crash of the flight that was en route to the northern city of Norilsk, differ widely. Reports of an onboard fire have been dismissed, as have the claims of overloading, a common problem with Il-76's, particularly on military aircraft. The aircraft's operator, claims that the aircraft was carrying just over 40 tonnes, 8 tonnes less than the aircraft's maximum load. Although these are the limits for the military Il-76MD as opposed to the civil Il-76TD, reported to be the aircraft involved in the crash, that has an upper limit of 50 tonnes. The preliminary report on the crash commission is expected in the next couple of days.

Article ID: 2646