RUSSIA NEWS
FlyDubai Plane Crashes in Russia, Killing All Aboard
All 62 people aboard the flight from Dubai died when it crashed on a repeated landing attempt in bad weather
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Russian officials spoke to a relative of a victim of the FlyDubai plane that crashed in Russia, March 19, 2016.*PHOTO:*REUTERS
By*
LAURA MILLS*and
*
JON OSTROWER
Updated March 19, 2016 2:47 a.m. ET
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An airliner flying from Dubai crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don early Saturday, killing all 62 people aboard, according to the Russian Emergency Ministry.
The*Boeing*737-800 crashed on a repeated landing attempt at the city’s airport, according to the ministry, which said there were 55 passengers and seven crew aboard. The ministry earlier reported 61 had people had died.
FlyDubai, the United Arab Emirates-based carrier, confirmed that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and said there were no survivors.
The airline said the flight departed from Dubai International Airport at 10:20 p.m. local time Friday (2.20 p.m. ET) and was bound for Rostov-on-Don in Russia. The crash occurred at the destination about 0355 a.m. local time Saturday (8.55 p.m. ET, Friday), it added.
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FlyDubai Chief Executive Ghaith Al Ghaith said the airline’s primary concern was for the families of the passengers and crew who were on the flight. ”We don’t yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause.”
The local branch of the Emergency Ministry said in a statement that the pilot was forced to attempt a second landing “due to bad weather conditions.” The plane’s wing touched the runway, causing the plane to break apart, the statement said. Russian airports often lack the most sophisticated landing aids and access to advanced weather forecasting.
Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said the agency had opened a criminal case for “violation of air safety rules.”
A local official for the Emergency Ministry, Viktor Yatsutsenko, told Interfax news agency said that most of the passengers were Russian citizens, but that there were 11 foreigners on board.
Boeing said in a statement that it “stands ready to provide technical assistance upon the request of government agencies conducting the investigation.”
FlyDubai, the sister carrier to Emirates Airline, was set up in 2008 by the government of Dubai and began flying in 2009. Emirates is the largest airline in the world by international traffic.
The fast-growing, low-cost carrier operates an all-Boeing 737-800 fleet and received its 50th aircraft in October, just over six years after the carrier took its first jet from the plane maker.
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This handout picture, taken Saturday March 19, 2016 by Russia's Emergency Ministry, shows fire engines at the airfield near the crash site at Rostov-on-Don airport.*PHOTO:*RUSSIA EMERGENCY MINISTRY HANDOUT/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
The airline has sought to replicate the successful low-cost model pioneered bySouthwest Airlines*Co.*Many of the carrier’s operational leaders are former U.S. airline executives.
The accident Saturday is the worst in the new airline’s short history and few notable safety incidents. In January 2015, one of its 737s came under fire during landing in Baghdad.
The event comes after the safest year in the history of commercial jet aviation world-wide. According to industry data, 2015 was the first year without a single passenger fatality as a result of a jetliner accident. Those numbers don’t include planes that are believed to have been brought done by a bomb or other intentional acts.
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—Nicolas Parasie and Andy Pasztor contributed to this article.