Flight control failure blamed for Russian ‘dancing plane’

Heart-stopping footage of the Russian Air Force passenger jet losing control shortly after take-off appeared on the internet last week.

The video shows the pilot struggling to control the ageing Tupolev Tu-154B over Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow before amazingly landing the plane safely.

Photographs show the plane tilted at a steep angle with the wingtips just metres off the ground as it came into land.

Russian Air Force chief Colonel General Alexander Zelin confirmed today that the plane suffered a failure of the on-board flight control system:

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

Zelin praised the pilot for showing high professionalism and skill in landing the aircraft and said he would be awarded medals for valour and courage.

Russian military investigators have begun a probe into the incident, which has been dubbed the “dancing plane” on YouTube.

The plane had not been used for up to 10 years before the flight. Reportedly, the aircraft was due for relocation for repairs but it was decided to test the plane in the air.

The Tu-154 plane first entered service in the 1970s, but its use was discontinued by Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot in 2010 because of safety concerns.

Earlier this year a fireball consumed a Kolavia Tu-154 on the runway at Surgut, Siberia, before takeoff, killing three and injuring more than 40 people.