What Happened to That Plane Which Landed in the Middle of a Field in Russia?

In September 2023, a terrible but fortunate accident rocked aviation news. Ural Airlines Flight 1383 landed in a remote field about 180 kilometers from the Russian city of Novosibirsk. The Airbus A320-214 that ended up in a field was in such good condition that airline owners considered allowing it to take off from the field under its own power. But it’s still stuck there.

An Airbus A320-214 of Ural Airlines rests on the field. Here it is seen with the emergency slides still in place. Image credit: Press service of Ural Airlines via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

On September 12, 2023, a Ural Airlines Airbus A320-214 took off on its scheduled flight from Sochi to Omsk. The domestic route in Russia was nothing special and no one suspected that it would end up in the news. However, on its final approach to Omsk, the aircraft suffered a hydraulic failure, which affected the break and required a procedure. The flight was diverted to Novosibirsk – the decision was made because Novosibirsk International Airport has a long runway. However, the A320 was nowhere near reaching Novosibirsk.

The crew made a difficult decision to land in an empty field, as the plane had run out of fuel. Initial estimates indicated it would easily reach Novosibirsk, but flying with the landing gear open burned too much fuel and the plane was miraculously found in a wheat field 180 km from Novosibirsk.

Why miraculously? Because not only were there no major injuries to the people on board, but the plane was also largely safe. So much so that shortly after Ural Airlines revealed that the Airbus A320-214 in question would fly again.

The engines made some noise, some blades in the turbofan engines had to be replaced and the hydraulic problem had to be fixed, but the Airbus built in 2004 could fly again.

It will be a difficult task to get rid of the wheat field. More than likely, they will have to make the plane as light as possible and build a temporary runway for it to avoid ingesting more soil. However, in December Ural Airlines basically said that such an operation would be too expensive. Soon after they discussed a plan to disassemble the jet and take it in parts to Novosibirsk, where it would be put back together and reused. However, on 12 January, the airline revealed that the aircraft would be scrapped.

And this decision makes the most sense, as it is now a 20-year-old aircraft. They may even be able to salvage some parts, which are badly needed in Russia’s aviation sector, which is being choked by international sanctions.

In fact, the lack of parts is probably one of the reasons they don’t want to try to get this plane back into operational condition – they just don’t have the parts for it anymore.

For now, though, the Airbus A320-214 is stuck in a field. It is guarded by a private company and surrounded by barbed wire. Russian media say Ural Airlines has essentially leased the field until September 2024.

written by Povelas M.

Sources: Wikipedia, Komsomolskaya Pravda