30-5-2024 (MOSCOW) Tragedy struck at Koltsovo International Airport in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on the 19th of May, when a ground crew member was severely crushed by the front wheel of a 77-tonne aircraft. The incident has left the 21-year-old staff member, identified only as Rail, in intensive care and fighting for his life.
According to reports from The Sun, Rail has yet to regain consciousness after sustaining catastrophic injuries that necessitated the amputation of one leg and left the other fractured. A criminal case has been filed against the unnamed pilot who was operating the Ural Airlines flight bound for Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, at the time of the incident.
Details surrounding the harrowing event suggest that the pilot failed to wait for Rail to move away from beneath the plane before beginning to taxi. A spokesperson for Ural Airlines stated that the pilot “did not give a command to turn off the intercom to the ground handling technician,” a critical oversight that ultimately led to Rail being run over by the 77-tonne Airbus A320’s front wheel.
The consequences of this tragic mishap have been severe, with a hospital spokesperson confirming that Rail remains in the intensive care unit in a serious condition, still unconscious from the trauma he endured.
In the wake of this incident, Ural Airlines has acknowledged that “the circumstances are being clarified,” and the pilot responsible has already been interrogated. However, the Russian Investigation Committee has taken more definitive action, filing a criminal case against the pilot for violating safety rules “that resulted in serious harm to health through negligence.”
Ground worker seriously injured after Ural Airlines A320 started to taxi before he was clear of the aircraft. The incident at Yekaterinburg Koltsovo airport on May 19 is being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office. pic.twitter.com/wQZbwSzuCk
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This tragic event has prompted calls for a comprehensive review of communication protocols between pilots and ground technicians before taxiing, with a commission investigating the incident urging Russian airlines to take immediate action to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Following the pilot’s removal from the flight, a new crew member was brought in to take the plane to its intended destination in Bishkek, although the journey was delayed by three and a half hours due to the circumstances.