Fallout from the May 9 crash of Russia’s first completely new post-Soviet era passenger jet may bring changes to how Sukhoi pilots are prepared for display flights, RiaNovosti reported, Wednesday. Last month’s crash destroyed a Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100 airliner, killing all 44 passengers aboard when the demo flight impacted a mountain slope near its departure point at Jakarta, Indonesia. Mikhail Pogosyan, head of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, announced last week that the investigation has yet found no faults with the aircraft. And Sukhoi has now said it will consider the recommendations of Indonesia’s National Transport Security Committee (NTSC) regarding flight operations.
The NTSC has recommended the Russian manufacturer review its demo-flight procedures regarding how pilots are prepared for display flights. According to Sukhoi, those recommendations will be taken into account during a detailed analysis of the procedures. The NTSC has not published additional recommendations and current procedures will remain pending review. The recent statement from Pogosyan along with the actions of the NTSC and Sukhoi’s response are leading some industry observers to speculate that pilot error caused the crash. However, the investigation is still ongoing and the fate of the new jet could be affected if its design or engineering is implicated.
