flydubai crash kills all 62 on board – flight recorders ‘significantly damaged’

Speculation still surrounds the crash of flydubai Flight FZ981 which crashed in Rostov-on-Don in the South Federal District of Russia on early Saturday morning, killing all 55 passengers and 7 crew on board. The Boeing 737-800 had reached the end of its flight from the United Arab Emirates but had aborted an initial attempted landing owing to severe weather conditions. The plane had circled the airport for a further two hours waiting for a break in the weather before descending a second time, crashing approximately 800 feet short and to the left of the runway.
While a terrorist attack has been ruled out, investigators from Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee, the United Arab Emirates and France considered the crash more likely to be due to pilot error “in connection with deteriorating weather conditions”, the weather alone, or a technical problem. However, recovery of the flight data recorders has revealed they have been extensively damaged, though the data is believed to still be recoverable.
Maxim Sokolov, Russia’s Minister of Transport, confirmed the end of the airport search operation on Sunday, according to the Russian government news agency Tass. Deputy Emergencies Minister, Leonid Belyaev, has advised that the ministry will concentrate on assisting Russia’s investigative committee, interstate aviation committee and insurers, along with Boeing representatives.
“We shall also continue studying the plane’s fragments to clear out reasons of the crash, will continue working on identification of the bodies, on collecting the DNA, and working with the families of the victims,” he is quoted as saying.
flydubai’s chief executive, Ghaith Al Ghaith, advised in a statement that the company was in deep shock, while a statement from the airline said “Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved,” said in the statement from the airline.
“We don’t yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause.
“We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the loved ones of those on board.”
According to flydubai, 44 of the passengers who died were Russians, eight Ukrainian, two Indian and one Uzbekistani. Four children were among the victims. The pilots were “quite experienced,” according to Gaith. The Cypriot captain had flown 5,965 hours, while the Spanish co-captain had 5,769 hours. Gaith also confirmed that the plane had passed a comprehensive inspection on January 21 this year.
The Russian Investigative Committee’s investigation will last a minimum of two months, which is required by Russian law, according to state-run Sputnik news.