Russia bans all Tu-154B aircrafts following explosion aboard

By Sanskrity Sinha | January 04 2011 10:55 AM

Following the explosion onboard Russian aircraft Tupolev (Tu) -154B in Siberia on Saturday, the country’s Federal Transport Overseeing Service, Rostransnadzor, has asked airlines to ban services of the passenger jet until the causes of the explosion are known.

Sponsorship Link

According to Russia’s aviation safety authority, the data recorders have been recovered and authorities are looking out for the cause of explosion.

Tupolev Aircraft Tu-154B, carrying 116 people including crew members, caught fire and blew up in Surgut Airport in Western Siberia last week, leaving at least three people dead, three missing and 34 hospitalized, officials said.

The Tu-154B aircraft is one of the versions of Tu-154 three-engine medium-range planes that were crafted in the Soviet era in the mid 1960s. The aircraft has had a history of a few crashes and accidents due to technical failure.

Polish Tupolev Tu-154 presidential aircraft crash last year killed Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and his accompanying officials.

In spite of that, there are still 14 Tu-154B aircrafts operational in Russia and a few are in service in Iran as well, media reported.

Concerning the safety of passengers, Russia’s national carrier, Aeroflot, had removed all its 23 Tu-154 aircrafts from service in January 2010.