Russian cargo plane's engine explodes shortly after take-off,

Dramatic video shows the moment a stricken Russian cargo planes engine explods shortly after take-off, leaving a trail of fire as the plane desperately dumped fuel. The Tu-204, which was travelling from Ulan-Ude-Baikal International Airport (UUD/UIUU) to Changzhou Airport (CZX /ZSCG) was seen with smoke coming from the engine followed by a long streak of a vibrant orange flame as it jettisoned fuel before making an emergency landing at the airport it had left from in Ulan-Ude, East Siberia.

The Aviastar aircraft is used to ferry goods between China and Russia amid Western sanctions against Vladimir Putin's regime. It had been flying from Baikal Airport in Ulan-Ude to Chinese city Zhangzhou when the explosion led to fire in its left engine.

Alexey Tsydenov, head of the Buryatia region, said the aircraft had dumped most of its fuel before making an emergency landing using just one engine.

Speaking after the event, witness Lyubov Pichueva said: 'I heard a powerful explosion coming from above. 'At first, I thought it was fireworks, but the sound was too strange. It was very scary.'

Witnesses said they were able to see the plane dumping fuel as it tried to avert a horrifying disaster.
One said: 'It was burning very bright just now. Something is falling out of it… It is dumping something.'

All five crew on board managed to survive the terrifying ordeal as the plane landed safely at 8:30 am local time (0:30 am GMT). An investigation is underway by the East Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office

Russia has suffered a spate of air safety issues and the country is the subject of a 'red flag' by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). In the first eight months of this year, there were 120 air accidents in Russia involving civil aircraft operated by Russian airlines. This is more than double the number in recent years despite significantly fewer flights as a result of Putin's war against Ukraine.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Avaistar - TU

Code: 4B/TUP

Aircraft: Tupolev Tu-204C

Registration: RA-64024

Serial Number: 1450743164024

Engines: 2 x Aviadvigatel PS-90A

First Flew: May 2002

Age: 20.5 Yrs