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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Will Stewart & Chiara Fiorillo

Hero pilot saves 19 people after engines 'froze' in the air causing plane to crash

A hero pilot has saved the lives of 19 people when a plane crashed in Siberia.

The Antonov-28 got into trouble after both engines “froze” during a flight from the town of Kedrovy to the city of Tomsk.

The regional branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry confirmed all passengers were found alive after two helicopters were dispatched to search for the plane.

Anatoly Prytkov, 56, made an emergency landing in the remote region and thanks to his swift action there were no fatalities.

The captain, who suffered a broken leg, was the only person seriously injured, while others suffered minor cuts and bruises.

Regional governor Sergei Zvachkin said in a statement: "We all believed in a miracle and thanks to the professionalism of the pilots it happened, everyone is alive."

Footage at the scene of the crash shows the plane's nose damaged but the rest of the aircraft mainly intact.

A passenger said: "During the flight both engines failed.

“They iced up. The engines were covered with ice and did not restart.”

The survivor added: “The pilots found a suitable place for landing, were gliding, lowering the speed.

“During the landing, we clipped the trees and when the plane touched the ground it buried with its nose in the ground and overturned.

“After the landing, we opened the doors, left the plane.“

The aircraft was operated by SiLA, a small airline that offers regional flights in Siberia.

The airline cancelled all its flights on An-28 aircraft due on Saturday following the incident, local media reported.

Fortunately, there was no fire and all the people on board were able to escape safely.

The passenger added: “We had time to organise a small camp, and lit a fire, because we thought we could be waiting here all night for rescuers.

“The pilot sent distress signals.

“Rescuers found us approximately two hours after our crash landing.”

The survivors and three crew members were rushed to hospitals in Tomsk.

Some people were scared to fly by helicopter after their crash ordeal, reports say.

The incident happened less than two weeks after another plane carrying 28 people crashed in the east of the country.

The Antonov An-26 disappeared from radar during its flight from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.

All crew members and passengers, including a child, died when the plane crashed into the sea.

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