WARNING: VIDEO HAS CONTENT THAT MAY CAUSE DISTRESS Harrowing video footage has emerged of passengers inside the Russian plane which crash-landed in Moscow on Monday (NZT), killing 41 people. Flames are seen pouring from under the jet as panicked flyers scream inside. Investigators are still working to understand what happened to cause the plane to ignite in a fireball upon landing. A lightning strike is one theory. READ MORE: * Russian plane 'heavy' with fuel * We owe cabin crew our lives, say Moscow plane survivors * Recent airline crashes run against trend toward safer flying * Doomed Russian jet 'struck by lightning' A survivor says a flash of lightning was heard moments before the plane began its emergency descent. SCREENGRAB Flames seen from the Russian-made Sukhoi SSJ100. ​Dmitry Kharinin, an engineer and resident of Volgograd told a local news outlet Tuesday that he saw the lightning: "It was very strong, and could be heard throughout the cabin." Kharinin says he did not witness a direct lightning strike on the Russian-made Sukhoi SSJ100. However, he speculates that the electromagnetic discharge of the lightning may have disabled plane systems. A flight attendant also said there was a sharp flash soon after the Aeroflot flight took off, bound for the northern city of Murmansk. "We took off, got into a cloud, there was strong hail, and at that moment there was a pop and some kind of flash, like electricity," flight attendant Tatiana Kasatnika said in a video posted on YouTube. The plane was airborne for just 28 minutes before returning to make an emergency landing while still heavy with unburned fuel, which then ignited after a rough touchdown. AP The Sukhoi SSJ100 aircraft of Aeroflot Airlines on fire, at Sheremetyevo airport. Flames quickly engulfed the aircraft, killing 41 of the 78 people aboard. A day after the horrifying accident at Sheremetyevo airport, Russian news media quoted the pilot, Denis Evdokimov, as saying he followed procedures for landing with excess weight. But the crew reportedly did not dump any fuel, which is common for flights that have to land soon after take-off to prevent being overly heavy. The pilot said he was not certain why the plane landed hard. Video showed flames bursting from the jet's underside as it touched down, then raging across the rear of the Sukhoi SSJ100's fuselage within seconds as the airliner bounced down the runway. "Everything happened right away, at lightning speed. There was a strong blow - my eyes almost popped out - a second was a little quieter, a third, and then smoke, and it started to burn immediately," survivor Marina Sitnikova was quoted as telling the magazine Snob. When the plane came to a halt, some of the people aboard plunged down inflatable slides deployed from the forward part of the plane. Some of those who escaped were carrying luggage, raising concerns that grabbing their bags may have delayed an evacuation in which every second was critical. PAVEL GOLOVKIN/AP A woman places flowers at the sign of the last flight of the Sukhoi SSJ100 aircraft of Aeroflot Airlines. "I do not know what to say about people who ran out with bags. God is their judge," survivor Mikhail Savchenko wrote on Facebook. Russia's main investigative agency said both of the plane's flight recorders - data and voice - were recovered from the charred wreckage. Agency spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko was also quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that investigators were looking into three main possibilities behind the cause of the disaster: inexperienced pilots, equipment failure and bad weather. Storms were passing through the Moscow area when the plane landed. One survivor praised the plane's attendants for helping save him and others. "It was dark and there was gas, very high temperature. They helped people out of there, helped them to descend," Dmity Khlebnikov said, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda. Transportation Minister Yevegny Dietrich said that it was too early to decide whether to ground the planes in Russia, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision was not within President Vladimir Putin's power.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox The plane burst into flames after making an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow. The ensuing tragedy caused the deaths of 41 people as the plane became engulfed in flames. Footage taken by a passenger in a window seat shows the plane’s wing being ravaged by fire as others onboard scrambled to escape. What REALLY happens when a plane is struck by lightning Although it has not been confirmed what caused the pilot to take an emergency landing, there have been reports that the Sukhoi Superjet 100 was struck by lightning. Speaking after the horrible event, flight attendant, Tatyana Kasatkina revealed that she was forced to kick passengers off the plane. She said: “People started getting out of their seats and making for the exit while the jet was still travelling at high speed. “They were phoning relatives, screaming that the plane was burning and falling. READ MORE: Russia plane crash: Passengers delay escape by grabbing SUITCASES<doc-sep>Moscow: Terrifying footage shows INSIDE the burning plane top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The Aeroflot plane made an emergency landing after a fire erupted on board soon after takeoff from Moscow to the Arctic city of Murmansk. Flames were seen flaring from the rear of the Russian-built aircraft with a reported 78 on board. The video captured the moment the jet slammed down onto the runway and flames burst through the twin engines. Petrified passengers erupted into screams as the fire spread to the fuselage, casting an eerie orange glow across the cabin. The aircraft quickly came to a stop as the panic intensified and the fevered unclicking of seatbelts permeated the smoky air. There was initial confusion over casualties with one report that 10 died including a female flight attendant, but this was not confirmed. Russian Investigative Committee later there were 13 fatalities - a figure earlier revealed by Reuters, citing a medical source. Moscow plane crash: The video was taken from inside the deadly blaze on the Aeroflot jet But by 10pm UK time last night the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement on its website: "There were 78 people on board, including crew members. "According to updated information, 37 out of them survived." The stricken plane was clearly visible from the main terminals at the airport in the north of Moscow. A British Airways plane was also on the tarmac at the time. Florida: Boeing 737 plane crashes into a river in Jacksonville The airport is closed for arrivals and departures. A passenger called mikkentosh posted on Twitter: “Guys I am all right, I am alive and in one piece. “I managed to jump out. “This was the 17.50 Moscow to Murmansk flight, see the rest in the news… "Definitely not everyone managed to escape, huge condolences to families and friends.” The plane is less than two years old. Its first flight was reported to be in June 2017.<doc-sep>Disturbing footage of survivors of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash in Moscow clutching their baggage as they leave the burning aircraft has outraged aviation experts. With the death toll rising to 41, fewer than half of those on board were successfully evacuated. And questions are now being asked about how many lives might have been saved had passengers obeyed flight crew instructions and left their possessions on board. Concerns have also been raised over video footage uploaded live to Facebook by one passenger as the plane was being evacuated, showing flames consuming the internal rear end of the cabin. Aviation writer and author of Airline Ratings, Geoffrey Thomas, says although it is still too early to know with any certainty, it is "extremely likely" the death toll would have been lower had the plane been evacuated quicker. "What is really concerning here is if you look at the vision you can see them carrying their bags ... and there's passengers inside taking videos," Thomas said. "Clearly this is another situation where passengers getting their bags off, instead of just getting off the airplane, has tragically caused... people to lose their lives. Chevron Right Icon 'This is another situation where passengers getting their bags off ... has caused ... people to lose their lives.' "It's just a real tragedy that this has happened, and it's been a problem industry has been looking at for some time, with passengers not obeying crew instructions to get off the airplane as quickly as possible." This 2016 video, below, captures the chaos of flight EK521 as people try to grab luggage from overhead lockers after the cabin begins to fill with smoke. Flight attendants can be heard screaming: "Leave your bags behind! Jump! Jump and slide!" Below is what remained of Flight #EK521. Thomas says the industry standard for evacuating a commercial size aircraft with half the emergency exits in operation is 90 seconds. Two of the four emergency exits were in use after the Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash-landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday. But the evacuation appeared to take around six minutes before the plane was engulfed with flames. A Russian aviation investigative committee has confirmed 78 people were on board, including crew members, and 37 survivors. Watch, below, the way a plane should be evacuated. Play Video A video showing the procedure that passengers and crew onboard a jet evacuate in an emergency. A video showing the procedure that passengers and crew onboard a jet evacuate in an emergency. Time is critical Spokesman for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Peter Gibson, says many people have become complacent about following crew instructions in the highly unlikely case of an emergency. "Most people fly reasonably regularly, and we've become blasé about it," he said. "But occasionally, very occasionally, accidents do happen and in those circumstances passengers have got to follow instructions. "Time is critical and (evacuation procedures) have been developed over decades, based on investigations from previous accidents. "Taking videos, grabbing bags, anything that delays evacuation is placing your life at risk - and other people's lives." Passengers laden with baggage evacuating a Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 aircraft after an aborted takeoff from Shanghai in 2011. Credit: Getty Images Concerning trend Gibson says there are multiple danger factors when passengers ignore crew instructions and grab their luggage in emergency situations. It doesn't just delay evacuation from people clogging the aisles and fumbling in overhead lockers. Luggage protrusions have the potential to puncture an evacuation slide, rendering it inoperable for those behind. And bags can become missiles as people exit, knocking out themselves or other passengers, or creating obstructions at the base of the slide. Duty free bags containing alcohol pose an additional hazard, from flammable liquids and broken glass. Passengers laden with baggage evacuating a Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 aircraft after an aborted takeoff from Shanghai in 2011. Credit: Getty Images Thomas says the airline industry has observed a concerning trend of airline passengers valuing their luggage over their own personal safety, and that of their fellow travellers. Following the 2015 British Airways Flight 2276 crash landing in Las Vegas, which showed footage of passengers walking away from the smouldering aircraft dragging luggage behind them, the British Civil Aviation Authority issued a blunt warning. British registered airlines needed to hammer home the importance of instructing passengers to leave their possessions behind in an emergency, because "some passengers appear not to assimilate, or not to heed such (safety) information and remain unaware of its significance to their, and their fellow passengers’, overall safety."<doc-sep>
Russian officials are investigating Sunday’s crash of a plane that burst into flames during an emergency landing. The crash killed 41 people. The national airline Aeroflot operated the passenger plane, a Russian-built Sukhoi Superjet 100. The crash happened shortly after the plane took off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. The plane was to fly to the northern city of Murmansk. Within minutes, the pilots requested an emergency landing. Video shared on social media shows the plane coming down for a hard landing. As it slid down the runway, the back of the aircraft burst into flames. After coming to a stop, large flames as well as thick, black smoke rose from the plane. Russian Transportation Minister Yevegny Dietrich reported that 41 bodies were recovered from the wreckage. He said 37 people survived the crash. Some of the survivors could be seen on video jumping down an air-filled slide from the front of the plane. Russian media reported one of the pilots said lightning had struck the plane. Flight attendant Tatiana Kasatnika said in a video on YouTube that the plane had taken off in a storm. Before the crash, she said she heard a loud noise and saw a burst of light. “We took off, got into a cloud, there was strong hail,” the flight attendant said. “And at that moment, there was a pop and some kind of flash, like electricity.” Russia’s main investigative committee said the plane’s flight recorders were recovered from the burned wreckage. A spokeswoman for the committee told Russian news agencies Monday that investigators were looking into three main possible causes: inexperienced pilots, equipment failure and bad weather. One survivor praised the plane’s flight attendants for helping save him and others. “It was dark and there was gas, a very high temperature. They helped people out of there, helped them to descend,” Dmity Khlebnikov told a Russian newspaper. Another passenger, Mikhail Savchenko, wrote on Facebook that some passengers grabbed their belongings as they fled during the emergency. “I do not know what to say about people who ran out with bags. God is their judge,” he wrote. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft first entered service in 2011. It was introduced as a major, new replacement for outdated passenger planes designed during times of the Soviet Union. ​But the plane has been troubled in the past by concerns over problems with its horizontal stabilizers. In 2017, Russian officials ordered an inspection of all Superjets in Russia because of the problems. A Mexican airline, Interjet, grounded Superjets in December 2016 over the issues. Transportation Minister Dietrich told reporters Monday it was too early to decide whether the planes should be grounded in Russia. I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story flame – n. hot, bright, burning gas produced by something on fire hail – n. small, hard pieces of frozen rain that fall from the sky flash – n. a sudden, bight light descend – v. to move or go down bags – n. small containers used for carrying personal belongings horizontal stabilizers – n. a fixed-wing part of an aircraft designed to help the airplane maintain smooth flight