Russian plane makes emergency landing in a field

A Russian airliner with 170 people on board had to make an emergency landing in a field due to a hydraulic failure. The incident occurred in the Novosibirsk region of Siberia and the Ural Airlines Airbus A320 was left stranded near a forest. Fortunately, no one was injured. According to Ural Airlines, the pilot chose the landing site after the hydraulic systems failed while approaching Omsk. The airline denied allegations that it couldn't service its planes due to sanctions on Russia. Photos of the incident show the plane stranded in an open field with its emergency doors open and ramps down, while passengers mill around. Russia's aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, stated that the "unscheduled landing" took place early on Tuesday near the village of Kamenka. None of the passengers required medical assistance. Both Rosaviatsia and Ural Airlines confirmed that an investigation into the emergency landing is underway, resulting in the suspension of the crew until the investigation is complete. Sergei Skuratov, the head of Ural Airlines, explained that one of the plane's hydraulic systems failed during its flight from Sochi on the Black Sea coast. He dismissed rumors of the plane catching fire, attributing apparent scorch marks above one of the wings to dirt. A failure of a plane's hydraulic systems can potentially lead to a loss of flight control. However, Russian aviation experts contradicted the crew's decision to make the landing, arguing that there are backup systems in place. The emergency landing coincides with challenges faced by Russian airlines in obtaining spare parts due to Western sanctions related to the conflict in Ukraine. In March, Ural Airlines official Igor Poddubny mentioned that they had about three months before they would need to dismantle planes for parts. However, Skuratov insisted that all their planes were maintained using genuine and certified parts. The Interfax agency reported that the crashed A320 was approximately 20 years old and had an airworthiness certificate until the end of the next year. Additionally, Reuters revealed in August that Russian airlines, including Ural Airlines, had found ways to bypass Western sanctions by utilizing intermediaries in countries like China and the UAE that are not subjected to the restrictions. This incident serves as a reminder of a similar event in 2019 when a Ural Airlines Airbus A321 was forced to land in a field outside Moscow after a bird strike during take-off. Around 70 people out of the 230 on board were injured in the crash, which was dubbed the "miracle over Ramensk" by Russian media. The crew members involved in that incident were later awarded state honors.