(Reuters) – A Russian Sukhoi passenger plane (SN95004) with 46 people on board, including businessmen and Russian envoys, has gone missing during a demonstration flight over West Java in Indonesia, officials said on Wednesday.

Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said radio contact was lost with the plane after it descended to 6,000 feet. The Indonesia military said the plane “fell” from the sky.

The plane was carrying Indonesia businessmen and Russian embassy officials, the transport ministry said.

“The plane was doing the first flight around midday and returned to the airport, but when it took off the second time, it lost contact around Bogor,” said Bambang Ervan, the transport ministry spokesman.

Olga Kayukova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, told Reuters the Sukhoi Superjet-100 was on a second flight as part of a demonstration programme in Indonesia.

“The first flight was carried out in a normal mode … The pre-flight preparations were carried out in full and the plane was completely ready to fly,” she said.

“According to information from Indonesia, the contact with the plane was broken after 20 minutes from the take off, at 1435 local time. Search works are under way.”

Local television reported that a search operation would be carried out from early on Thursday.

The Sukhoi’s Superjet 100, with a capacity of 68-103 passengers, was developed in partnership with Boeing and Italy’s Finmeccanica.

SOURCE: REUTERS,  Photo: SN95005 at Le Bourget June 2011 M. van Leeuwen Z.A.P.P.

 

The aircraft was operated by a Russian crew.

Recent messages on Twitter posted by blogger and traveler Sergey Dolya give the names of the crew members. The plane was operated by senior test-pilot Aleksandr Yablontsev and co-pilot Aleksandr Kochetkov.

RIA Novosti also released the names of six other Russian nationals. Aero navigator Oleg Shvetsov, flight engineer Aleksey Kirkin, leading test flight engineer Dennis Rakhmanov, test flight deputy head Nikolay Martyshenko, “Sukhoi” company Sales Director Evgeny Grebenshchikov, and contract manager Kristina Kurzhukova were all reportedly on board.

The latest reports suggest the mobile phones of at least two passengers are working, though nobody has picked up.

“A call waiting tone can be heard, but nobody is answering,” the director of Angkasa Aviation magazine says, as cited by Detik.com. Two employees of Angkasa, Didi Yusuf and Dodi Aviantara, were reportedly onboard the missing plane.

Indonesian authorities have called in a crisis group comprising local authorities and Russian embassy employees.

“The authorities are searching for the plane. A helicopter has just returned but says there is no trace of it. Rescuers are looking at the maps trying to determine where it could be,” Sergey Dolya who was on a previous flight on the very same aircraft, told RT.

The rescue operation is being hampered by rain, fog and the approaching dusk, Indonesia’s aviation traffic regulator says.

(Source: Russian Times)

Gallery: Photo’s from Le Bourget 2011 demo of the missing SuperJet 100. (M. v. Leeuwen)

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