Russian Air Force chief Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin confirmed on Friday that last week’s incident with a military passenger plane was caused by the failure of the on-board flight control system.

The Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-154B-2 started wavering uncontrollably at a very low altitude shortly after taking off from the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow on April 29.

“The plane behaved in such a manner because its control system failed in the air,” Zelin told reporters. “Everything was all right before takeoff.”

The pilots managed to land the plane on their second attempt. The plane, which was reportedly flown for the first time in 10 years, did not sustain any damage.

Zelin said the pilots showed high professionalism in saving the aircraft and would be decorated for valor and courage.

Russian military prosecutors have launched a probe into the incident. Zelin said the results of the investigation would be made public.

The Tu-154B is a Soviet-designed plane that entered service in the 1970s and is now only used for domestic flights by lesser airlines in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot took its 23 remaining Tu-154s out of service in January 2010 over safety concerns.

Russia’s transport watchdog ordered domestic airlines to ground their Tu-154Bs after a Kolavia Tu-154B exploded in a fireball before takeoff from Surgut, in Siberia, in January, killing three people.

Source: Russia News
Photo: Rob Vogelaar, ZAPP