New details reported in investigation of disastrous Moscow airplane fire

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 airplane that caught fire upon landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on May 5 did not accelerate during touchdown as previous reports had claimed, but it was carrying a 1.6-ton overload, presumably of fuel. RIA Novosti journalists reported on multiple new developments in the investigation of the fire after reading a document prepared by Russia’s federal aviation agency.

The document also indicated that, contrary to ordinary procedures, the airplane’s wing flaps were not extended during landing. Meanwhile, the pilot of the plane “actively toggled” the airplane’s steering control, causing its nose to move up and down continuously.

New data regarding the handling of the fire onboard also came to light in the report. Fire alarms on the SSJ 100 turned on at 3:30:34 PM, four seconds before the airplane stopped. The plane’s fire extinguishing systems turned on at 3:30:58, but its engines continued working for at least seven more seconds afterward, at which point the plane’s engine tracking systems stopped recording.