Reports speculate that an overweight passenger rushing to get his bag rather than immediately exiting the jet may have contributed to the death of other passengers during the fiery Russian jet crash.
Forty-one people reportedly died on the jet that carried 78 on board. Dmitry Khlebushkin walked out of the airport with his backpack after the disaster on May 5, Daily Mail reported. He demanded a swift refund from Russian airline Aeroflot and complained about his treatment by staff.
Internet users were angry at Khlebushkin’s concern over his plane ticket money while other passengers lost their lives.
“He saved his backpack. And he is looking really great, knowing that everyone further back than the 11th row died,” an online commenter said, via Daily Mail.
“That fat man from the video who was angry that he did not get a refund within 40 minutes – he surely took his bag from the overhead compartment despite all the other people,” another commenter said, via Daily Mail.
Russian reports say only three passengers seated behind Khlebushkin’s seat survived the jet fire, insinuating that Khlebushkin may have blocked other people’s escape by grabbing his luggage, Daily Mail reported. Khlebushkin is not the only person who left the jet with luggage and outerwear.
Video obtained by Daily Mail shows crash survivors walking through the airport after exiting the jet carrying coats and bags. The fire was located at the back of the jet. Witnesses say that because the passengers in the front were concerned about their bags, it slowed the evacuation process, Daily Mail reported.
We join @USEmbRuPress @USEmbRu in expressing sincere condolences to the families of all who were lost or injured in yesterday’s tragic plane fire at Sheremetyevo airport, including one U.S. citizen.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 6, 2019
Russian investigators are looking into three possible causes of the crash: pilots lacking qualifications, equipment failure, and weather.
“When the plane stopped, the evacuation immediately began. The fire was visible. Everyone was shouting that we were on fire, but there was no fire inside the cabin at this moment,” flight attendant Tatiana Kasatkina told Daily Mail. “I kicked the door out with my leg and pushed out the passengers so as not to slow the evacuation. Just to hurry them up I grabbed each of them by the collar from the back.”
Another flight attendant, Maxim Moiseev, died at the back of the jet while trying to force a stuck rear emergency door open.
The jet had departed Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport for Murmansk, and was in the air for less than 30 minutes before heading back to Sheremetyevo, where the crash landing and subsequent fire occurred.
The official cause of the jet heading back to the airport is still under investigation, but according to CNN, Russia’s Interfax news agency said it was due to a communications failure caused by a lightning strike. Interfax also said one American was killed in the crash.
“We join @USEmbRuPress @USEmbRu in expressing sincere condolences to the families of all who were lost or injured in yesterday’s tragic plane fire at Sheremetyevo airport, including one U.S. citizen,” tweeted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow sent a message from U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman, via her Twitter account:
“Ambassador Huntsman: We are following events at Sheremetyevo Airport with great concern and express our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time,” tweeted Andrea Kalan.
Recent American college grad among those dead in Russian plane crash https://t.co/s90V6Gi5lf pic.twitter.com/i61JkUqMG7
— Connor Ryan (@connortryan) May 6, 2019
Amateur video shows the jet hit the runway, bounce up slightly, and then hit the runway again and burst into flames.
The aircraft was a Sukhoi Superjet 100, a relatively new aircraft, and the first Russian-made commercial jet since the Soviet era. There are over 100 in use around the world, CNN reported.
The Superjet 100 made its first flight in 2008 and started servicing the public in 2011, according to CNN. Russia has no plans as of yet to take the model out of service.
Russian investigators have data and voice recordings from the aircraft and said they are under analysis, ABC News reported.
