A Russian Saratov Airlines passenger plane has crashed shortly after taking off from Moscow Domodedovo airport, reportedly leaving no survivors among the 71 people on board (65 passengers and 6 crew).
The Antonov An-148 aircraft went missing from radars after taking off from Domodedovo airport with destination the Russian city of Orsk in the Orenburg region that borders Kazakhstan.
It reportedly came down near the village of Argunovo, in the Ramenskoye District some 80 kilometres southeast of Moscow and 60 kilometres from Domodedovo.
Interfax reported that a passenger plane had crashed and a source told the agency there was “no chance” of finding survivors. Emergency services near the scene are also quoted as saying that there are no survivors.
The flight-tracking website Flightradar24 says Saratov Airlines flight #6W703 was using a seven-year-old Antonov An-148 aircraft registered RA-61704. Forum member Passenger reports that the aircraft history, posted on Aviation-Safety.net, shows that the aircraft was only in use with the airline since one year, after a two years storage.
Source: Interfax, Euronews, Flightradar 24
Update: Fragments of a second aircraft, probably a helicopter, were found near the An-148 crash site. A mid-air collision is not excluded, but Interfax later dropped the story about a helicopter.
Forum discussion: http://www.aviation24.be/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=63107