SSJ-100 air crash 'extraordinary case' - Deputy PM Borisov
ST. PETERSBURG. June 8 (Interfax) - The Sukhoi Superject 100 aircraft has a considerable degree of safety, but the plane that crashed in Sheremetyevo Airport was in a catastrophic situation, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told journalists.
"It has a considerable degree of safety, in terms of overload. It is an extraordinary case. In accordance with its technical design specification, it can withstand an overload of 3.8 g and that one was nearly 6 g. It is not an emergency anymore, but a catastrophic situation. No airframe can withstand this," Borisov said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"There are no complaints about the plane as a technical resource," he said.
There has been no evidence so far that the plane caused the crash in Sheremetyevo, the deputy prime minister said.
"I don't want to make any preliminary conclusions, the commission that has its own view will make them. And an interim report is basically ready," he said.
Even when the aircraft was struck by a lightning, it did not have irreversible consequences, Borisov said.
"It is a combination of factors, including a human one. The commission will make the final conclusion," the deputy prime minister said.
He said he believes this shows that the SSJ-100 is not in doubt as an aircraft. Borisov mentioned that at its development stage, the plane passed both Russian and European certification and a series of tests, including static ones, and flight restrictions were lifted following them.
At the same time, he said he "would not want to blame it on the pilots."
Aeroflot flight SU1492 to Murmansk returned to its airport of departure soon after takeoff on the evening of May 5. The plane crash-landed and caught fire. There were 78 people on board, including five crewmembers. The crash killed 41 people, while ten suffered airway and body burns, smoke poisoning, and bruises.