Sukhoi Superjet Wreckage Found

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An Indonesian helicopter rescue crew found the shattered wreckage of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 scattered over the side of a mountain early Thursday and there appear to be no survivors. The aircraft, Russia’s newest passenger jet, was carrying 44 passengers on a demo flight out of Jakarta, Indonesia, when it vanished from radar Wednesday morning and crashed into the near vertical wall of Mount Salak. About 50 minutes into the flight, the crew asked to descend from 10,000 to 6,000 feet. Mount Salak is 7,254 feet high. Rescue workers were attempting to gain access to the site but all aboard are presumed lost. The flight was carrying representatives of Indonesian airlines, along with five journalists and Russian embassy officials.

The airplane was on its second flight of the day. The mid-range Superjet, which entered service in April 2011, is the first completely new passenger jet produced in Russia in the post-Soviet era. It carries up to 98 passengers for flights up to 2,800 miles. The project is a joint venture between Sukhoi, of Russia, and Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica.

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