Ural Airlines Begins Dismantling Emergency-Landed Airbus A320

Ural Airlines has announced the start of dismantling its Airbus A320, which made an emergency landing in a Russian wheat field last year. The aircraft, registered RA-73805, was forced to land on September 12, 2024, after pilots reported a critical fuel shortage while diverting to Novosibirsk Airport (OVB).

The unusual landing quickly captured global attention, and the fate of the stranded jet became a subject of considerable discussion. Initially, there were discussions about potentially using a temporary runway to fly the aircraft out of the field. However, by January 2024, Ural Airlines decided to dismantle the plane.

According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Airbus A320 had 167 people on board at the time of the emergency, including 23 children and 6 crew members.

On September 6, 2024, Ural Airlines confirmed that its engineering and technical teams had commenced the dismantling process. The procedure involves stripping down the aircraft in stages due to the varying technologies required for different parts.

“The aircraft parts that are deemed airworthy will undergo further testing before being repurposed,” said Ural Airlines in a statement. “Parts that were damaged will be repaired. We expect the dismantling process to be completed by December 2024.”

An investigation report released by the Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsiya) on April 11, 2024, revealed that the incident resulted from multiple crew errors and violations. According to the report, the pilots chose to divert to Novosibirsk because the hydraulic system issues affecting the aircraft could be addressed there.

The report noted that landing at the designated destination, Omsk Tsentralny Airport (OMS), would have contradicted company advice, which recommends landing at airports with trained technical staff capable of troubleshooting complex issues.