AFP, MOSCOWThe pilot of a Russian passenger plane that erupted in a ball of fire on the runway of Moscow’s busiest airport, killing 41 people, said that lightning led to the emergency landing. However, pilot Denis Yevdokimov told Russian media that the craft lost communications and needed to switch to emergency control mode “because of lightning” on the Aeroflot flight to the Arctic city of Murmansk. Videos posted on social media showed the plane perform an emergency landing and then speed along the runway with flames pouring from its fuselage. Evdokimov said he believed the plane burst into flames on landing, most likely because of full fuel tanks. The aircraft’s black boxes have been found and handed over to investigators, a source in the Russian emergency services told news agencies.

Source: Taipei Times May 06, 2019 15:56 UTC