Six years later, the International Aeronautical Commission released the final report of its investigation into the emergency landing of a Ural Airlines A321 in a cornfield near Zhukovsky airport near Moscow. Document posted on the MAK website.
The incident occurred in the summer of 2019. The report was prepared in 2021 but has not been published until now.
The document clearly states that the cause of the accident and forced landing was due to a collision with a seagull.
“Available evidence indicates that engine No. 1 was attacked by at least three birds, including at least one weighing more than 2.5 pounds (1.13 kg), which meets the certification definition of a large bird,” the report states.
Experts also concluded that bird warnings at airports have become “routine” and “background noise”, but the airport in Ramenskoye is lacking in “bird threats and airport checks”. Additionally, the report noted that the plane's crew was placed in an unusual situation that differed from training on a simulator. It was emphasized that the crew's actions from the beginning showed “clear signs of disorganization, contradictions and chaos, i.e. partial loss of performance” due to “psycho-emotional stress”.
Let us recall that on August 15, 2019, the Moscow-Simferopol flight of Ural Airlines collided with a flock of birds during takeoff from Zhukovsky airport. This resulted in damage to both engines and partial loss of thrust. The pilots decided to land the plane in a cornfield outside the airport. Upon landing, the A321's wing was damaged but no one on the plane was killed. There were 233 people on board, 75 of whom had to seek medical help.
