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SSJ-100 crew decided against going around, in spite of alarm — IAC

The alarm was active for 11 seconds, with five voiced messages going off

MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS/. The pilots of the Sukhoi Superjet that caught fire during emergency landing in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on May 5 did not discuss the alarm that had gone off, notifying them to go around and continued their descent, a report issued by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) on Friday reads.

"At 15:28:26 (local time - TASS) while passing the 1600 ft. (490 m) altitude according to QNH (radioaltimeter altitude - 1100 ft. (335 m)), WINDSHEAR WARNING alarm activation was registered, which is generated by the system to warn the crew on the wind shift of the meteoradar, accompanied by the "GO-AROUND, WINDSHEAR AHEAD" voiced message. This alarm informs the crew on a possible windshear ahead of them," the report says.

The document also notes that the alarm was active for 11 seconds, with five voiced messages going off. "The QRH "W/S AHEAD" section <…> says that when this alarm is activated, the crew should go around," the IAC said, however, "the crew did not discuss the activation of this alarm." At the same time, if the crew checks that the windshear or other wind shifts are not threatening the plane, this alarm "does not require any actions," the report reads.

Having reached the 1000 ft. (305 m) altitude, the captain of the plane "made a decision to continue [the landing] approach, notifying the other pilot by saying "continue", while the other pilot replied "Check", the document says.

Superjet accident

A Sukhoi Superjet-100 belonging to Aeroflot airlines, which took off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo for Murmansk on May 5, had to return to the airport about 30 minutes after its flight, making an emergency landing and subsequently bursting into flames. There were 73 passengers and five crewmembers aboard the plane. In all, 41 people died in the air crash, and nine others were hospitalized.

Investigators have opened a criminal case over flight safety violations and breaches in aircraft operation that entailed the death of two and more people through negligence. Detectives are looking into several versions of the incident, including pilot incompetence, a technical failure and unfavorable weather conditions.