Wreckage of missing Russian jet found

Sukhoi’s chief civil test pilot Alexander Yablontsev (L) and co-pilot
Alexander Kochetkov (R) pose for a picture with flight attendants at an
airport in the Indonesian capital Jakarta (Reuters)

Investigators are now examining taped conversations between the pilots and
air-traffic control, particularly the pilot’s request to descend from
10,000ft to 6,000ft seconds before the plane disappeared from radar screens.

“The airplane crashed at the edge of Salak mountain,” said Indonesian
president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. “An investigation must be done
immediately and thoroughly.” Aerial pictures from the crash scene revealed
tiny sections of wreckage from the wings and fuselage scattered down an
exposed stretch of cliff surrounded by the dense forest.

Indonesia’s
search and rescue agency chief, Daryatmo, said: “From the pictures we’re
seeing it looks like it was a total loss.” Sukhoi has already won 170 orders
worldwide for its Superjet-100 and was aiming to sell 42 in Indonesia alone,
competing against similar-sized offerings in the passenger jet market from
Brazil’s Embraer and Canada’s Bombardier.

If the cause of the crash turns out ultimately to be a pilot or air-traffic
control error, the effects on sales might not prove too disastrous. But a
technical fault in the jet that has already suffered delays could be
catastrophic for orders.

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