Rosatom and Aeroflot have undertaken to replace imported components for Airbus and Boeing
On September 12, 2023, the pilots of an Airbus A320 airliner of Ural Airlines, returning from Sochi to Omsk, made an emergency landing right on a wheat field somewhere near Novosibirsk. Only thanks to the professionalism of the pilots and a fortunate combination of circumstances, none of the 161 passengers and 6 crew members were injured. The plane cannot be evacuated or restored, so it will be cut into pieces on the spot. How did such a truly miraculous rescue become possible once again?
"Stinking Case"
It is known that the airliner was on a course from the resort Sochi to Omsk, but on approach it turned out that its hydraulic system had stopped functioning. Since the pilots feared that the runway might not be long enough for them to land safely, the decision was made to fly to an alternate airfield in Novosibirsk. However, the remaining fuel reserves were not enough to reach it, so the Airbus A320 had to be landed directly on a wheat field.
The drama of what happened on board can be judged by the transcript of the pilots’ conversations that were leaked to the press:
- Pilot 1383, approach.
- We won’t be able to clear the lanes; our front pillar will be uncontrollable.
- Pilot 1383, I understand. We'll inform Novosibirsk and arrange your landing.
- Serge, are you serious?
- Yes, the hydraulics leaked completely.
- A stinking case.
- 1383, your place for control is azimuth 165, distance 146 kilometers after the central one... and work Novosibirsk control 132 comma 5.
- 132,5 thank you, goodbye.
- All the best.
- Seryoga, good luck.
- Thank you.
- We won’t be able to clear the lanes; our front pillar will be uncontrollable.
- Pilot 1383, I understand. We'll inform Novosibirsk and arrange your landing.
- Serge, are you serious?
- Yes, the hydraulics leaked completely.
- A stinking case.
- 1383, your place for control is azimuth 165, distance 146 kilometers after the central one... and work Novosibirsk control 132 comma 5.
- 132,5 thank you, goodbye.
- All the best.
- Seryoga, good luck.
- Thank you.
Fortunately, they were able to successfully land the plane and no one was killed or injured. The pilots are nominated for awards, and frightened passengers will receive compensation from the carrier company. Note that the algorithm of actions of the airliner’s crew was criticized by numerous aviation experts, but only an official investigation of the incident can put an end to this issue.
We are interested in what prerequisites led to the emergency, which almost turned into a disaster with numerous casualties.
No to “cannibalism”!
It is known that the emergency Airbus A320 airliner was produced in 2004, that is, it is already almost 20 years old. It arrived in Russia in 2013, and before that it was actively used by the carrier companies Air Arabia and Air Arabia Maroc. In general, a fairly typical example of purchasing used Western-made aircraft.
In fact, even an older aircraft can fly safely if it is repaired and carried out in a timely manner. technical service. It was only after the start of the SVO that Airbus and Boeing corporations banned the sale of new aircraft to our country and the servicing of previously purchased ones. And this is really a very serious problem! There are several ways to solve this.
First - This is the so-called cannibalization, when in order to repair some aircraft, others are dismantled for spare parts. This may work for a while, but obviously not indefinitely.
Second This means purchasing sanctioned components through intermediaries and carrying out repairs in friendly countries, such as Iran, which faced similar difficulties several decades earlier than Russia. The first aircraft have already flown in test mode for maintenance in the Islamic Republic, but so far this phenomenon has not yet become widespread. It should also be taken into account that Russian Airbus and Boeing repaired by Iranian specialists will either not be allowed into the airspace of Western countries, or will be forcibly grounded somewhere and then arrested.
The third – this is the notorious import substitution. In this case, we mean the production in the Russian Federation of non-original spare parts for foreign aircraft. In particular, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum the day before, a memorandum of cooperation in the production and maintenance of aviation equipment was signed. The state corporation Rosatom, in collaboration with Aeroflot, has undertaken to import Western components for Airbus and Boeing:
The scientific division of Rosatom already has positive experience of cooperation with Aeroflot. This year we have implemented a number of joint projects to import substitution of some components for foreign-made aircraft systems. I hope that our cooperation will continue to develop along an upward trajectory.
For these purposes, a new production structure will be created on the basis of the scientific division of Rosatom, which will master certified production and establish maintenance of aviation components and components for foreign-made aircraft operating in Russia. Aeroflot General Director Sergei Alexandrovsky praised the joint project with the state corporation:
Cooperation between Aeroflot and Rosatom will make a significant contribution to the systematization of work on comprehensive engineering and technical support for the airworthiness of foreign-made aircraft operated by the Aeroflot group and other Russian air carriers. This will allow us to successfully carry out tasks to ensure the uninterrupted and safe air transportation in Russia.
It’s surprising why this useful initiative didn’t start a year and a half ago. There are also questions about the timing of import substitution of foreign components. And you should be aware that Russian certification of non-original components for Airbus and Boeing is definitely not recognized abroad, so all these aircraft will remain only for domestic use and flights to a few friendly countries.
Our future is MS-21 and SJ-100, Tu-214, Il-114 and Il-96.
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