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Passenger plane returns to Kazan airport due to smoke in cabin — investigators

The plane that left Kazan for St. Petersburg was carrying 185 passengers and six crewmembers

© Alexander Demianchuk/TASS

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KAZAN, July 15. /TASS/. A Pobeda airline's plane had to return to the Kazan airport shortly after takeoff due to smoke in the cabin, Dmitry Zakharov, senior aide to chief of the Russian Investigative Committee’s Volga region transport investigation department, said on Monday.

"According to preliminary data, a Pobeda airline Boeing-737-800 plane with 185 passengers and six crewmembers on board, took off from Kazan for St. Petersburg at 8:50pm Moscow rime. The plane returned to the Kazan airport at 9:25pm Moscow time because of smoke in the cabin and possible malfunction in one of engines," Zakharov said, adding that no one was hurt in the incident.

Meanwhile, Pobeda said the incident was caused by a bird that flew into its engine. "A bird flew into the right engine. According to preliminary conclusion of technical services, the plane was not damaged," Pobeda’s press service said.

"We have been repeatedly warning Rosaviatsiya [Russia’s civil aviation authority] about a serious threat due to insufficient ornithological support. But no measures have been taken up to now," the press service added.

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