30 Dec 2012

Russian plane crashes into road killing four

6:14 pm on 30 December 2012

A Russian passenger plane has crashed into a main road after overshooting a runway at a Moscow airport, killing at least four people.

Reports said there were between eight and 12 crew on board the Red Wings Tupolev-204 which was landing at Vnukovo airport.

Images of the scene show the aircraft split into several pieces, with the cockpit on the road.

Four people were severely injured, and the two pilots, a flight engineer and an air stewardess were killed.

The plane's tail and cockpit had broken off but the fuselage was largely intact.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash.

The BBC reports there was light snow in the area on Saturday afternoon, though it was not known if that played any role.

The Tupolev-204 is a modern Russian passenger jet with a good safety record and a capacity to hold more than 200 passengers.