[Mrluvaluva]

A Russian-made passenger jet with 50 people onboard has gone missing in Indonesia during a demonstration flight for potential buyers.

Rescue teams were dispatched to the area south of the capital Jakarta but poor weather conditions forced at least two helicopters to return to base.

Over 200 soldiers, police and members of the air joined the land-based rescue efforts and would be working through the night.

The head of the national search and rescue agency, said several diplomats from the Russian embassy, potential buyers and aviation journalists were on board what was supposed to be a 50-minute demonstration flight - the second of the day.

The Sukhoi Superjet-100 had taken off from Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma Airport at 2.21pm.

Just 21 minutes into the flight the pilots contacted air traffic control and asked if they could descend from 10,000ft to 6,000ft (3,000m to 1,800m) before dropping off the radar near the the Bogor area.

The plane was flying close to the Salak mountain range and it was raining at the time.

Speaking to local station TVOne, a villager living near the mountains said: "I saw a big plane passing just over my house.

"It was veering a bit to one side, the engine roaring, it seemed to be heading toward Salak, but I didn't hear an explosion or anything."

Developed by the Russian aerospace company Sukhoi in co-operation with Western partners, the plane is the first completely new airliner designed by Russia since the Soviet collapse.

Russia has hoped that the short to mid-range jet, which made its maiden run in 2008, would help it break into international markets dominated by Boeing and Airbus.


Sky


How strange? I am wondering now if some scousers got past security and this is now a case of TWOK. It doesn't make sense? In all seriousness though I hope everyone onboard that aircraft is ok.

[Kizzy]

What western partners?...Fgs don't tell me Britain has invested in a load of duff planes?

[Omah]

Originally Posted by kizzy

What western partners?...Fgs don't tell me Britain has invested in a load of duff planes?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18004097

The Superjet, a mid-range airliner that can carry up to 100 people, is military plane-maker Sukhoi's first commercial aviation plane.

It was created by a joint venture, majority-owned by Sukhoi, with Italy's Finmeccanica and a number of other foreign and Russian firms also involved.

[Kizzy]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10779035

QUOTE:
At last week's Farnborough air show, Sukhoi's regional Superjet 100 was shown and flown, while another flagship project, the MS-21, was displayed in form of a cabin mock-up.

Several contracts and memorandums of understanding worth billions of dollars to deliver both planes in future were signed.

FFS

[Mrluvaluva]

Unfortunately it's bad news...

"Rescuers searching for a missing Russian-made passenger jet carrying 47 people have found the wreckage of the plane.

The plane went missing in Indonesia during a demonstration flight for potential buyers.
Rescue teams were dispatched to the area south of the capital Jakarta.

Over 200 soldiers, police and members of the air joined the land-based rescue efforts.

"Rescuers on the helicopters could clearly see the wreckage located at the top of Mount Salak," said Gagah Prakoso, a spokesman for the Search and Rescue National Agency.

"There is no sign of any of the passengers. We're trying to move in closer to the wreckage now."

Several diplomats from the Russian embassy, potential buyers and aviation journalists were on board what was supposed to be a 50-minute demonstration flight - the second of the day."


Sky

[Kizzy]

A pilot who commented on one of the articles stated that the mountains were hard to navigate especially in poor conditions,a very sad end to the mystery.